Although most graduates head for the private sector and employers who traditionally recruit large numbers of students, such as financial services firms, an increasing number are opting to work for public sector and not-for-profit organisations. A good example is Cancer Research UK, one of a handful of charities in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list, in 34th place, and an organisation within which graduates feel they can really make a difference.

Graduate trainee schemes are a relatively recent innovation for many charities — Cancer Research UK’s scheme was started just over seven years ago.

The sector has come a long way from the time when charities were managed by well-meaning volunteers and had a distinctly amateurish air about them. “We are a much bigger organisation than most people realise and we have a lot of opportunities for graduates,” says Robert Farace, head of resourcing at Cancer Research UK. “We have an income of about £470 million a year, employ just over 4,000 staff and fund another 4,000 medical staff throughout the UK.”

It would be wrong to think of Cancer Research UK just in terms of money collection boxes and fundraising activities. Like any large organisation it offers career opportunities in areas such as finance, human resources and marketing on top of its operations associated with charitable work.

Farace says: “You can come and do fundraising for us, which not too many organisations do on the same scale. Take the Race for Life, for example, in which nearly one million people take part.

“Then there’s the science side. People may have done a PhD or studied science but do not want to work at a science bench or become an academic. By coming to us they can be involved in activities such as research management, science strategy, chemical trials and drug development but in an office management role.”

With just 14 places on offer, competition to join the graduate scheme is fierce. More than 1,500 candidates applied last year. Students need a 2.1 in any discipline and then they have to navigate the application process. This involves applying online, attending an assessment centre, taking part in psychometric tests, a panel interview and group exercises.

If they make it past these they will be taken into one of two graduate streams. One is corporate and scientific services, covering such areas as IT, finance, human resources, legal, science strategy and research management. The other is fundraising, marketing and communications.

Both are two-year schemes with four six-month placements. “You choose the stream that you think is most in line with your career aspirations,” Farace says.

Sophie Bradwell gave up a job in the recruitment industry to join the scheme, having graduated from Cambridge University in 2004.

“I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of role I wanted but the corporate scheme allowed me to try things out,” she says. “I started by working in procurement, looking at our warehousing and distribution systems, seeing where we could make it more efficient. That was one of my highlights because through the project I managed to save the charity money, which was really rewarding.”

Bradwell subsequently worked in an external publications team with other charities in the UK, where she created a network for publication and marketing managers and directors across about 15 UK charities, and helped to build an internal brand and creative team.

Her next placement was in one of the science directorates, from which she moved to the press, communications and information office, where she now has a permanent role.

Bradwell has no regrets about switching from recruitment to a charity. “I wanted a career where I could see there was a real purpose,” she says. “Working at Cancer Research UK has fulfilled my expectations. We look for people with a passion and a drive to make things better. There is such a clear vision about what we are trying to achieve and I can see how I fit into that and how what I do really makes a difference overall.”

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