ISE Awards 2026 Winners and Finalists

We are proud to announce the ISE Award Winners 2026, celebrating outstanding excellence across the ISE community. With 113 entries submitted across 13 specialisms in attraction, recruitment and development, competition was exceptionally strong.
From these entries, our expert judging panel selected 54 finalists, from which this year’s winners emerged - organisations and individuals truly raising standards in student recruitment and development.
Congratulations to all the ISE Awards 2026 finalists, highly commended and winning organisations below.
Recruitment Category
Best Innovation in Assessment & Selection
Sponsored by


- Grant Thornton in partnership with Neurosight - Winners
- EDF UK in partnership with Arctic Shores - Highly Commended
- Virgin Media O2 in partnership with Neurosight
- BlackRock
Best Innovation in Early Talent Attraction
Sponsored by


Outstanding Schools and Colleges Engagement Approach
Sponsored by


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Lloyds Banking Group - Winners
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Kainos Software - Highly Commended
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Pathway CTM in partnership with AWE
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The School Outreach Company in partnership with KPMG
Outstanding Offer to Onboarding Experience
sponsored by


- NatWest Group in partnership with Eli Onboarding - Winners
- Rolls-Royce in partnership with AMS - Highly Commended
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Accenture
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HSBC
Outstanding Pathways to Early Careers
Sponsored by


Talent Development Programmes category
Outstanding Graduate Development Programme
Sponsored by

Outstanding Apprenticeship Development Programme
Sponsored by


Outstanding Emerging or Alternative Talent Programme
Sponsored by


Making a Difference Awards
Outstanding Dedication to EDI in Early Talent
Sponsored by


Sustainability & Social Impact in Early Talent
Sponsored by


- Howden - Winners
- Babcock
- Lloyds Banking Group
- The School Outreach Company in partnership with Virgin Media O2
Collaboration for Impact in Early Talent
Sponsored by


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Birmingham City University in partnership with Aston University, University College Birmingham, University of Birmingham, National Careers Service, Department for Work and Pensions, Birmingham and Solihull Jobcentre Plus - Winners
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Vistry Group - Highly Commended
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Connectr Early Engagement (Discover Finance)
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Lloyds Banking Group in partnership with FouthWall
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Uptree in partnership with JPMorganChase
Most Successful Early Careers Strategy
Sponsored by


- Nationwide Building Society - Winners
- The Coca-Cola Company - Highly Commended
- Police Now
- HSBC
- Rolls-Royce in partnership with AMS
Early Talent Changemaker of the Year
Sponsored by


- Clare Power, Police Now - Winner
- Nofi Balogun, Lloyds Banking Group
- Phil Sartain, Aon
- Frankie Dadzie, Linklaters Business Services
Contact
For general awards enquiries on ISE Awards 2026, please contact events@ise.org.uk