• Microsoft, take the top spot, moving up five places from last year.
• An interesting development this year has been recruitment firm, Hays, moving into 5^th place from 38^th last year.
• Notable new entries include Transport for London (74), Virgin Media (92) and EDF Energy (100)

The Top 100 Undergraduate Employers in the UK have been announced by RateMyPlacement.co.uk. Taking into account over 7,000 student reviews throughout the 2015-2016 academic year, the table ranks organisations that recruit over 15 students a year on placements, internships, vacation schemes and insights; and have at least 15 reviews on the website.

This year sees multinational technology company, Microsoft, take the top spot, moving up five places from last year, and knocking Bank of America Merrill Lynch down to second place. Professional services firm, Grant Thornton, see themselves back in the top 10 at 3^rd position, after climbing from 16^th last year. As the top rated employer this year, Microsoft received reviews averaging 9.11 out of 10, on criteria including: amount of responsibility given, whether they felt valued by colleagues, impressions of the company overall, training and development opportunities, and transferable skills gained. 

Lucy Saunders, University Recruitment Manager at Microsoft said “Being number one is both humbling and an honour for our UK Intern Programme at Microsoft.  It means a lot to us that our very own, superb interns have benefitted from a meaningful and impactful experience at Microsoft.   Internally our interns are extremely well regarded and they never fail to make huge, positive impact to our UK business and beyond.  Integral and core to our Intern programme is the belief that our interns should be given as much opportunity as possible to make great impact during their time with us.  We also understand how important and beneficial a strong start is for them, and we aim to given them the right platforms and chances to form a strong community and network together during their time with us.  For Microsoft UK to be at the top of this table is a credit to all those Interns who have added so much value and positive energy to our business year on year.” 

Microsoft’s leading position is reflective of a general trend this year that has seen firms from various industries such as recruitment, professional services and law move into the Top 10, which has historically been dominated by financial services firms. An interesting development this year has been recruitment firm, Hays, moving into 5^th place from 38^th last year, finding itself amongst leading law and financial firms. 

A number of major organisations also made the cut for the first time, including two pharmaceutical companies – Pfizer (97) and AstraZeneca (99). Other notable new entries include Transport for London (74), Virgin Media (92) and EDF Energy (100), as well as consultancy and construction firm, Mace Ltd (62). 

Ollie Sidwell, Co-founder at RateMyPlacement.co.uk commented: “It’s great to see that within our Top 100 there is now such a variety of industries, from finance to law and the entertainment industry. Showing that no matter where an undergraduate decides to take their career, there will always be a first-rate quality firm looking to employ them in their chosen sector. With the fall in the financial services firms’ positioning, it just goes to show that companies cannot rest on their laurels; they must continually invest in the future of students by offering high quality placements, or risk falling behind.” 

“In today’s highly competitive jobs market it is essential for students to showcase practical experience in their desired field in addition to their university learnings. Choosing the right undergraduate employment can heavily influence future career choices and our top 100 list should really help students make the best decisions for them – as well as providing a key platform to attract promising students to the top employers.” 

For the full 100 please click here