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Featured Article

Remembering Tessa McEwan

Earlier this year, a long-time friend of ISE, Tessa McEwan, sadly passed away. Tessa was someone who worked in early careers for over two decades, both as a graduate recruiter and as a trainer. Tessa was known by many across the early careers sector, some of whom have shared their thoughts and memories for this piece.

Aug 11, 2026
Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment

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Featured Know-how

5 ways to elevate HE work experience in the age of AI

Labour market changes over the last year present both challenges and opportunities for universities and employers adapting their work experience offerings for the new season, explains Laura Carter, employer engagement lead at The Open University.

Aug 10, 2026
Graduate Attraction & Marketing, Graduate Recruitment, Internships & Placements

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Insight Articles

Article

Remembering Tessa McEwan

Earlier this year, a long-time friend of ISE, Tessa McEwan, sadly passed away. Tessa was someone who worked in early careers for over two decades, both as a graduate recruiter and as a trainer. Tessa was known by many across the early careers sector, some of whom have shared their thoughts and memories for this piece.

Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment

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Article

New appointments to ISE board

ISE has announced changes to its board including appointing three new directors.

Careers

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Article

What you need to know about post-16 skills reforms

In this article Anne-Marie Campion unpacks the recently published White Paper on post 16 Education and Skills and current proposal for apprenticeship reform.

Apprentice Attraction & Marketing, Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Apprentice Selection & Assessment, Careers, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion...

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Insight Know-how

Know-how

5 ways to elevate HE work experience in the age of AI

Labour market changes over the last year present both challenges and opportunities for universities and employers adapting their work experience offerings for the new season, explains Laura Carter, employer engagement lead at The Open University.

Graduate Attraction & Marketing, Graduate Recruitment, Internships & Placements

Read the Article

Know-how

How to approach neuroinclusive design for your 2026/7 cohort

Neuroinclusive design is shifting beyond accommodation to early careers best practice. Toni-Marie Lowney, founder of TMC Group, shares the key principles to follow for neuroinclusive recruitment and development.

Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment

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Know-how

ROI reality check: turning data into action

Most early talent teams are measuring something. But are they measuring what actually matters? Laura Anderson from HSBC and ISE Board Director and Anna Champion from The Talent Lighthouse explore how to use data to drive better decisions and outcomes.

Apprentice Development, Graduate Development

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Know-how

How to use contextual recruitment to boost social mobility

New data shows the positive impact of contextual recruitment tools on social mobility. Naomi Kellman from Rare Technology and ISE Board Director shares key findings as well as the steps employers can make to get ahead.

Apprentice Recruitment, Apprentice Selection & Assessment, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Graduate Recruitment, Graduate Selection & Assessment, Social Mobility

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Insight Case Studies

Case Study

How AWE redesigned its keep warm experience

AWE explains how it has shifted its approach to keep warm activity from traditional engagement to a cohort-led, function-owned experience.

Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment, Strategy

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Case Study

How AWE is building meaningful work experience

AWE shares how they are moving beyond one-off engagements to create structured, impactful experiences that genuinely prepare young people for the world of work.

Work Experience – Schools

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Case Study

How Tesco early careers are targeting NEET young people

Tesco’s focus on NEET young people has become a core part of its early careers strategy. Apprenticeship and Graduate Talent Acquisition Manager, Lynda Jackson explains the rationale, approach and delivery.

Apprentice Attraction & Marketing, Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Apprentice Selection & Assessment, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Graduate Attraction & Marketing...

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Case Study

HSBC’s award-winning EDI strategy transforms early careers

What’s behind HSBC’s award-winning EDI strategy? Suz Allen, Head of Emerging Talent for UK, Europe and Americas, explains their approach and benefits.

Apprentice Development, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Graduate Development

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Insight Feature

Feature

How AI is reshaping entry-level roles?

IBM and The Coca-Cola Company share how AI is impacting entry-level development programmes.

Apprentice Development, Graduate Development, Technology

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Feature

Who won at the ISE Awards 2026?

Early careers professionals came together in sunny Brighton to celebrate achievement, share best practice and recognise outstanding contributions to the profession.

Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment, Strategy

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Feature

Top 10 most read articles of 2025

As 2025 comes to a close we look back at ISE’s most popular content of the year. Here are the articles you shouldn’t miss.

Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment, Technology

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Feature

ISE welcomes three new Board Directors

Institute of Student Employers called an Extraordinary General Meeting(EGM) to formally appoint three new Directors to its Board.

Careers, Policy

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Insight Opinions

Opinion

We must challenge the way we think about technical education

Apprenticeships matter, but so does how we value skills. Harlow College Principal Karen Spencer explores the recent reforms, what’s really holding technical education back and how we can address skills shortages.

Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Policy

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Opinion

Top takeaways from ISE Recruitment Conference 2026

Hollie Valler, ISE Board Director and European Early Careers Manager at Arcadis, reflects on the themes that stood out at this year’s ISE Student Recruitment Conference.

Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment

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Opinion

The ability to disagree - the real test of critical thinking

There is a hidden skills gap that employers are missing: High-performing graduates who don’t challenge. Dina Eltabey, Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth, explains what universities and employers can do.

Apprentice Development, Graduate Development, Student Insight

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Opinion

Equipping Generation A for the modern workplace

Bestselling author Chloe Combi has interviewed over 20,000 young people around the world to help schools, companies and governments understand how to best prepare for the future generations.

Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment, Student Insight

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Insight ISE Research

ISE Research

ISE data: 5 priorities to improve EDI strategy

ISE’s special report on EDI provides vital insight and recommendations for employers seeking to boost their strategies.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Social Mobility

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ISE Research

5 top trends from ISE’s Development Survey 2026

ISE’s Claire Tyler unpacks the five hottest trends from this year’s Student Development Survey.

Apprentice Development, Graduate Recruitment, Technology

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ISE Research

Entry-level work reshaped not replaced

ISE Student Development Survey 2026 launches with new insight on how AI is impacting entry-level jobs and the skills employers need.

Apprentice Development, Graduate Development, Technology

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ISE Research

The application explosion: key insights for employers

With application volumes at historic highs, ISE’s Head of Insights Claire Tyler considers what’s driving this surge, the key tensions for employers and how they are adapting.

Apprentice Selection & Assessment, Graduate Development, Graduate Recruitment, Graduate Selection & Assessment, Technology

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Insight Research

Research

The graduate jobs market isn’t collapsing

Ahead of his session at ISE’s Recruitment Conference, labour market expert Charlie Ball from Prospects at Jisc delves into the data to explain what’s really happening with entry-level jobs.

Graduate Recruitment, Student Insight

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Research

Students use AI to compete, yet oppose AI assessment

Growing pressure on students and graduates is driving major shifts in job search behaviour, particularly around the use of AI and high-volume applications. Chris Rea from Prospects at Jisc shares the latest insight.

Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment, Student Insight, Technology

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Research

AI early career fears rise, but employers focus on evolution

AI is impacting the early career decisions of young people, but employers are yet to replace most entry-level jobs, explains ISE’s Claire Tyler.

Apprentice Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment, Student Insight, Technology

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Research

What you need to know about apprentices in 2026

Ollie Sidwell, Co-founder at Higherin reveals what 10,000 student reviews reveal about apprentices in 2026.

Apprentice Development, Apprentice Recruitment, Student Insight

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