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Thousands of university students from across the West Midlands are leaving the region for good now they have graduated, taking their degree level skills to the nation's capital and abroad in pursuit of better career prospects. This is leaving businesses short of the talent they need to grow.

A survey by graduate recruitment specialists Grad Central has revealed that only one fifth (21%) of undergraduates attending the region's universities intend to start their career in the West Midlands when they finish their degree course. The most popular destination is London and the south, accounting for more than a half (52%), with a third (33%) moving overseas.

Lucy Dinsdale, Project Manager for Grad Central, said: "It's not surprising amongst all the doom and gloom that graduates are thinking about moving out of the West Midlands to start their careers, especially with the latest stats highlighting our region has the highest unemployment rate in England.

"However, it is also extremely worrying, as it is essential for the region's economic prosperity that we keep graduate talent and their skills here. Without them, we will be left with a major skills shortage as we fight to get out of this recession.

"What we really need to do now is start talking up the opportunities that are available. At Grad Central for example, we are working closely with businesses across the West Midlands to encourage them to take on graduate talent. The good news is the response has been excellent, particularly with small-to-medium sized enterprises. Since our service was launched earlier this year, we have placed around six graduates per week into full-time employment and we currently have 115 vacancies for graduates available."

Grad Central, which is funded by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM), is specifically designed at growing the number of graduate jobs in the West Midlands. Along with an experienced team of recruiters to help businesses and graduates throughout the process, one of Grad Central's key benefits is it is fully funded, meaning businesses can take on graduates with no recruitment fees.

The survey was carried out on campus with over 1000 undergraduates at Birmingham City University, University of Warwick, University of Worcester, Keele University, Wolverhampton University, Staffordshire University, Coventry University and Harpers Adams University.

It also revealed the main drivers for people moving out of the region, with 36% citing lifestyle choice as their main reason for leaving and 35% stating it was because of better job prospects.

Lucy added: "These survey results highlight a serious misconception amongst students about what the West Midlands can offer them once they have completed their studies. It is a fantastic place to live and work, whether you are looking for the highlife of city living in Birmingham, the peacefulness of outlaying towns like Leamington Spa or the rural settings of Shropshire, and with many business sectors across the region continuing to grow, the West Midlands has it all."

For more information and to register your details, whether you are a business in the West Midlands or a graduate looking for a job, visit www.grad-central.co.uk.

Case study 1 - BHSF
BHSF is a Birmingham-based not-for-profit employee benefits provider which offers health-related insurance plans to over 265,000 policyholders and their families within the UK on a corporate and individual basis.

Its 3,000 client organisations include some of the UK's biggest names like Allied Carpets, Argos, Sainsbury's and General Motors, along with many hundreds of SMEs and smaller businesses. With its workforce currently standing at around 135 employees, BHSF recognises the strength and value, which graduates can bring to the Company.

Mike Chapman, Human Resource and Quality Management Director is actively involved with the recruitment process at BHSF and describes the importance of local businesses investing in the class of 2009: "Graduates bring new ideas and fresh approaches which we harness in our change management programmes."

BHSF has a 12-month graduate development programme through which successful applicants gain exposure to a variety of departments and disciplines within the company, including sales and marketing, customer service and finance. Graduates are provided with opportunities to work on projects central to the company's business plan, as well as developing their project management skills through secondments in the local community, which builds on its philanthropic roots.

Mike added: "Graduates involved within the programme spend time understanding key business processes, and this is supplemented with project opportunities enabling them to use their initiative and develop their transferable skills."

Melanie White and Sunita Mistry are two examples of graduates who have demonstrated their capabilities to progress within an SME. They were keen to develop their business skills after graduating from Nottingham Trent University, and were interested in applying for graduate schemes.

Melanie is currently a HR Officer at BHSF and has worked there for four years. She has been given various opportunities to lead projects, including those designated to her by Peter Maskell, chief executive of BHSF during her role as Executive Assistant. She was also short listed in the '2009 Young Achiever of the Year' contest organised by the Birmingham Insurance Institute.

She explained that: "Businesses are always looking for something unique when recruiting new talent. Graduates not only need to have a strong academic background but demonstrate commercial awareness and a good 'fit' with the organisation to which they are applying."

Sunita has also been rewarded for her successes at BHSF where she now works as a Lead Quality Auditor and making it as a finalist at this year's 'Birmingham Young Professional of the Year' awards. Sunita commented: "The different roles I have held at BHSF have enabled me to develop my key transferable skills and establish a career path."

Case Study 2 - Premier Risk Insurance
Birmingham-based Premier Risk Management Ltd is defying the doom and gloom of the recession after taking on its first ever graduate.

The independent commercial insurance broker has utilised graduate recruitment specialist Grad Central's expertise and employed 24 year old Gemma Nash as a trainee account executive.

Nelle Hawkins, Director at Premier Risk Management Ltd, commented: "We have a small but highly experienced team of five employees but were looking to expand this to help support our business growth. The most important skills we were looking for in a candidate were the ones you cannot teach. Obviously we can train people how to work in insurance, but being presentable, friendly and able to work on their own initiative cannot be taught. Grad Central contacted us about the advantages of getting a graduate for this position and we were really impressed by their approach."

Gemma, from Lichfield, graduated from Loughborough University last year with a degree in Psychology. As a trainee account executive, she will be responsible for developing relationships with existing customers and looking for new business opportunities. As part of the graduate position, Premier Risk is providing a complete induction and on the job training, along with ongoing external training to help develop her skills.

Gemma said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic to have been placed in my first career job, especially as I realise how difficult it is at the moment to actually find work. Grad Central supported me every step of the way to help make the process as hassle free as possible and find the best employer to match my experience and aspirations."

Case study 3 - Tri-Tech Engineering
Staffordshire-based Tri-Tech Engineering, which only launched last year and specialises in installing, maintaining and servicing 3-D printers that are vital for research and development for large blue chip organisations, has recently taken on Nick Jones as a graduate engineer.

Paul Webber, MD of Tri-Tech, said: "The manufacturing and engineering industries are just two of a number of market sectors across the West Midlands that have come under severe scrutiny in the current climate. Despite this, we decided the best approach was to tackle the recession head-on.

"Engineers can often command high wages and not necessarily be up to the task. Therefore, we decided to look at bringing fresh blood into our company that we could help train. Nick has already brought new ideas, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to our business, helping us drive things forward. To compliment this, he is also up-to-date with the latest computer-aided design skills, which has recently helped us win a new contract with a local company that produces bespoke furniture for the rich and famous."