Researching The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
employers that di!erent generations of students and recent graduates have aspired to join after leaving university – and these latest results provide a unique insight into how the ‘Class of 2026’ rated the country’s leading graduate employers.
before the onset of the pandemic – were no longer ranked two years later. Together, the twenty-eight annual editions of The Times Top 100 Graduates Employers have produced a definitive record of the graduate
The UK’s Number 1 Graduate Employer 2026
B eing named number one again in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers is a real testament to what today’s graduates think of working in the Civil Service and the careers we o!er. The Fast Stream is our long established leadership and management development programme. It equips talented individuals with the knowledge, skills, experience and networks to build a meaningful career and operate e!ectively across the Civil Service. Fast Streamers are given opportunities to work across Government, in a range of roles aligned to a profession. They gain a real understanding of the citizens and communities that individual departments serve and how they interconnect with each other. They are placed in the majority of Civil Service departments, from the Department for Education, Ministry of Justice and Department for Environment, Food & Rural A!airs – to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development O#ce and the Ministry of Defence. They typically benefit from three separate postings during the programme, to help them build a breadth of knowledge and experiences. Attracting more regional talent is one of our top priorities, bringing the Civil Service closer to the communities it serves, supporting our ambition to have at least 50% of Fast Streamers in roles outside of London by 2030. There are several routes into the Fast Stream, but most graduates make a direct application in their final year of studies or after graduating from university. There is also a Summer Internship Programme for penultimate year and final year students from lower socio- economic backgrounds. This is a two-month placement within a Civil Service department – and for interns that show high potential, it includes an opportunity to progress to the later assessment phases for the Fast Stream.
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Beaulah Chadwick, Head of Civil Service Fast Stream
We know there’s no such thing as a typical Fast Streamer and we want people with a wide variety of skills and experiences to join us. We look for applicants who have strong leadership potential and are passionate about making a di!erence to the communities we serve. The recruitment and selection process for the Fast Stream is very competitive and includes an initial application, a series of online tests and then the Fast Stream Assessment Centre. For most schemes, there is also an additional round of Final Selection Boards. The key to success is being well-prepared, having a good understanding of what the Civil Service does, and being able to demonstrate your commitment to working in public service. The Civil Service exists to serve the Government of the day and it’s our job to advise impartially and deliver its policies e!ectively. Quite rightly, the country has very high expectations of us. We are proud of the important role that the Fast Stream plays in this.
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20 TOP 100 GRADUATE EMPLOYERS
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