Employability and opportunity

Top employers are looking for graduates who go further during their time at university.

At the Business School, we offer a range of opportunities for you to develop the skills and experience that will boost your CV and make you stand out from the crowd.

Our dedicated Employability and Opportunity team will offer you support to develop the professional skills and experience that top graduate employers are looking for.

Go further at Leeds

• Optional years - all of our courses include the opportunity to spend a year in industry or studying abroad, extending your degree to four years. These opportunities are a brilliant way to enhance your degree and future career prospects in the global graduate market. Summer schools and support to find summer internships are also available for those looking for a shorter experience.
• Mentoring - our Nurturing Talent Mentor Scheme connects undergraduate students with professionals from industry.
• Meet employers - we run a range of workshops and employer-led events, giving you valuable insight into how to stand out in the graduate employment market. We are also one of the top five most targeted UK universities by graduate recruiters (High Fliers report, The Graduate Market in 2022). 
• Improve your entrepreneurial skills - the University of Leeds Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies provides practical support, materials and guidance to all those who are interested in gaining new skills and improving their enterprise background. SPARK also support students who are thinking about starting their own business.
• From study to work - as well as the opportunities above, you'll have access to a wealth of facilities and support which will help you to stand out from the crowd when you graduate. This includes a specialist second year module 'From Study to Work', which equips you with the necessary knowledge and skills to secure placement opportunities and prepare for a professional career. You will also be able to keep track of your progress using an online facility which helps you to recognise and record your personal, professional and academic development, and to articulate your skills and knowledge to employers.
• The University of Leeds Student Careers - you will also have access to the University’s award-winning Careers Service - one of the largest in the country, which includes access to My-Career - an online resource and database of thousands of internships and graduate vacancies.
• Other Business School opportunities - you can enhance your academic learning and work-related skills through participation in our Peer Assisted Study Scheme (PASS), by becoming a course representative or ambassador, undertaking a research summer project or joining a volunteering scheme. 

92% of UK-based graduates are in employment and/or further study within 15 months of graduation. 90% of UK-based graduates in employment are in graduate level employment such as professional or managerial work within 15 months of graduation. 

Professional relevance 

We work closely with employers and industry experts to ensure that our courses are relevant to the changing business world. Employers regularly deliver presentations and workshops and many of our courses are professionally accredited - giving extra value to your degree.

Accreditations and exemptions

• Our BSc Accounting and Finance offers significant exemptions from the main professional bodies in the field, including ICAEW, CIMA and ACCA
• We are one of only a handful of institutions to hold CIPD accreditation for our BA Human Resource Management and BA Business Management and the Human Resource 
• Our International Business courses are accredited by the Institute of Export
• Our BA Business Management with Marketing and BSc International Business and Marketing are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) 
• Our BSc Banking and Finance is accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI)

See more of our accreditations.

Student prizes

We recognise and reward our students with various prizes for exceptional hard work and achievement. Winning a Leeds University Business School prize is a great addition to your CV and will help to demonstrate your abilities and skills to top graduate employers.

Q-Step initiative

Top employers have identified a shortage of social science graduates with the quantitative skills needed to analyse data and evaluate research evidence. Q-Step is a well-established national programme aimed at addressing this need.

The University of Leeds Q-Step Centre has developed a range of ‘With Quantitative Methods’ pathways, modules and other extra-curricular opportunities for students across the social sciences to develop their data literacy skills and enhance their employability.

How does it work?

You apply for the course as normal. In your first year you can then choose to enrol for special quantitative-based modules, such as Understanding Data in the Social Sciences. If you pass these modules, further Q-Step modules will be available in your second and final years.

How will it help me?

Taking Q-Step modules will help you develop the vital quantitative skills sought by employers whilst allowing you to maintain the subject focus of your degree.

The University of Leeds has an outstanding reputation for quantitative social science and is home to the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, a prestigious UK Research Council Centre for big data analytics in both health and consumer behaviour. This expertise, along with our links with industry and government, will help to inform your teaching on the new modules.