Mayoral Graduate Pilot

Description

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is seeking a supplier to oversee the onboarding process for a number of graduates into SMEs across West Yorkshire. Furthermore, the selected supplier will be tasked with establishing and managing a customised network designed to cultivate the soft skills of these graduates, thereby bolstering their workplace readiness. This pilot project should clearly set out to impact to the local economy and test innovative methods to enable SMEs to attract and retain graduate talent. The pilot will have two main beneficiaries; employers and graduates and will work with recent graduates to develop innovative ways to encourage and support graduates to access placement and job opportunities within SMEs in West Yorkshire. The requirement is to create a pilot program that supports as many graduates as possible and tests innovative approaches to recruiting and retaining graduates into SMEs. This program will span a two-year period starting in August 2024. Lot 1: The objective of the pilot will be to test methods that help to bridge the gap between SME employer perspectives, to address expectations of graduates, and will support employers to access graduate talent. Attraction and retention of graduates in the regional economy is key to maximising the economic benefits of higher education. The pilot aims to develop tailored approaches to recruitment of graduates, addressing skills gap areas and key priority sectors, and reducing underemployment of graduates in West Yorkshire. Additionally, it will focus on increasing diversity, particularly within SMEs, by targeting underrepresented graduates who face additional barriers to employment through universities access and participation agenda. The pilot will create a community of graduate ambassadors that have taken part in the program, showcasing success stories and evidence of impactful interventions that helped secure employment. It will also evaluate and make recommendations on how to attract and retain graduate talent within SMEs and other sectors and skills areas.