The Reed Graduate Scheme
Our scheme has been developing graduates into talented managers and leaders for over 25 years.
Our three-year Reed Graduate Scheme offers a supportive, progressive and dynamic career path for talented graduates looking to work for an industry-leading company.
Unlike other grad schemes, we have three intakes a year (January, June and September) and every 12 months, you’ll be provided with the opportunity to move to a new role in the Reed Group.
Starting at Reed in Partnership as an Employment Adviser, you’ll have the opportunity to change the lives of people for the better – as well as forging your own path towards a bright and successful future.
How to Apply →
Graduate benefits
- £28,500 basic salary (£30,500 in London), with a £1,000 increase per year
- Handpicked mentor from our Senior Leadership Team
- Flexible career routes with three annual rotations across Reed in Partnership, Reed Specialist Recruitment or reed.co.uk
- Dedicated Graduate Team to support throughout your placements
- Industry-leading training from our Learning & Development Team
- Fast track to management
- Professional Qualification sponsorship from your second year on the programme (e.g. CIPD, Prince2).
- Additional annual performance-related pay reviews
Graduate Stories
Bradley joined Reed in Partnership on the Graduate Scheme in 2012 as an Employment Adviser on the Work Programme. Since then, he has enjoyed a variety of roles including Adviser Manager, Implementation Executive and Innovation and Change Manager. Bradley is still with the business today in his current role of Associate Director of Continuous Improvement, which he has held for the past two years.
“The Reed Graduate Scheme helped me significantly as it gave me an opportunity to try different roles within the business through the annual rotations. This helped me to understand what type of work I most enjoyed and where my skills and experience were best utilised.”
Bradley, Associate Director of Continuous Improvement
Isabelle has been on our Graduate Scheme since August 2021 starting as an Employment Adviser on the Work & Health Programme. In the last year she has moved over to our People Team as a People Resourcing Adviser.
“The Graduate Scheme has opened doors that I may not have been able to so soon in my career, and has been the perfect start.
Everybody at Reed in Partnership has been great in supporting my development and I can't wait to continue my journey on the grad scheme and beyond.”
Isabelle, People Resourcing Adviser
“The Reed Graduate Scheme has been brilliant for my career, being able to offer me a variety of roles to get exposure to different areas of HR. This exposure to different areas prepared me to be able to progress quickly at the end of the scheme, from People Adviser to Head of People in just four years. It is a fantastic scheme that can really accelerate your career trajectory.”
Daniel, Head of People (Shared Services)
Leah joined Reed in Partnership on the Graduate Scheme in 2017 as an Employment Adviser. Leah has enjoyed a variety of roles since starting her career on the Graduate Scheme, including Early Talent Coordinator, Business Manager, Social Value Manager and Strategic Initiatives Manager.
“The Graduate Scheme gave me the opportunity to get to know the wider business and find roles which complemented my skillset. With the support of my mentor, I was able to shadow a number of departments in the company and find out which teams were the right fit for me.
Leah, Strategic Initiatives Manager
Your Graduate Scheme journey
Getting started
After accepting a place on our Graduate Scheme you are invited to a three day induction at the Reed Business School in the Cotswolds.
You’ll meet other graduates, senior leadership members and James Reed, our Chairman. Over the course of these three days you’ll find out much more about life at Reed.
Year 1
Each year we ask for graduates to set six objectives to achieve over the first nine months of their placement.
Of these, three must be KPI-related and the rest development targets. Once you are halfway through your placement, you can review these objectives to see if any amendments need to be made.
Alongside these objectives, you will collect evidence of working to Reed’s purpose, values, and strategy, plus examples of your core attributes – including leadership, communication, collaboration, problem solving, and innovation.
The outcome of this appraisal is a performance-related salary increase.
Years 2 & 3
Each year we ask for graduates to set six objectives to achieve over the first nine months of their placement.
Of these, three must be KPI-related and the rest development targets. Once you are halfway through your placement, you can review these objectives to see if any amendments need to be made.
Alongside these objectives, you will collect evidence of working to Reed’s purpose, values, and strategy, plus examples of your core attributes – including leadership, communication, collaboration, problem solving, and innovation.
The outcome of this appraisal is a performance-related salary increase.
Appraisal system
Each year we ask for graduates to set six objectives to achieve over the first nine months of their placement.
Of these, three must be KPI-related and the rest development targets. Once you are halfway through your placement, you can review these objectives to see if any amendments need to be made.
Alongside these objectives, you will collect evidence of working to Reed’s purpose, values, and strategy, plus examples of your core attributes – including leadership, communication, collaboration, problem solving, and innovation.
The outcome of this appraisal is a performance-related salary increase.