The University of Nottingham is the best university in the UK for graduate employment, according to the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, published Friday 23 September.

The University is also back in the top 20 after moving up five places this year, due mainly to a significant increase in student satisfaction. It is the biggest rise among the leading universities in the league table and enough to earn a shortlisting for the coveted University of the Year award.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Greenaway, said: “When students choose to go to University, they are making a big investment in their future. I’m thrilled that the Sunday Times has recognised the investment we make, as a University, in ensuring they have the best opportunities, transferable skills, and educational experience to reap the rewards of this while they are here in Nottingham and throughout the rest of their careers.”

In 2013 a £1 million investment saw the expansion of the careers service at Nottingham to help students stand out in the ever more competitive graduate job market.

It enabled greater provision for individual career guidance, skills workshops, application support, employer and alumni engagement, and, more recently, placement development, as well as continued development of the Nottingham Advantage Ward and the University’s on-site job agency Unitemps.

This has led to the proportion of graduates gaining professional jobs on leaving or going into further study has climbed to 82.7% which gives it a ranking of 14th nationally, its highest ranking of the nine performance indicators in the league table.

Dr Nalayini Thambar, Director of Careers and Employability, said the award was down to a combination of the service offered by the careers team at Nottingham, support from the wider University and the calibre of students.

She said: “Our students are excellent. They get involved with co-curricular activities, they take responsibility for shaping their own career, they take part in placement opportunities and they are switched on about what they need to do.

“But our team works hard to ensure we offer relevant services, the expertise needed and the broad range of opportunities. We are fortunate to be highly targeted by the Times Top 100 employers but that doesn’t mean we can sit back and wait for opportunities to come to us. We go out and understand what’s out there. Lots of careers don’t specify a degree subject so we help students make career choices, assist with applications and signpost them to opportunities.

“This is a powerful combination –our expert advice and services tied into an excellent academic experience. I’m delighted that The University of Nottingham has been recognised in this way and we look forward to building on this in the years to come.”

This year in the Autumn Term alone the Careers and Employability Service will be offering students a choice of 195 skills workshops or events involving employers on campus. This includes 17 careers fairs ranging from a Careers in Management Fair and a Science and Technology Fair to a Media Conference.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “Nottingham graduates are renowned the world over for their intelligence, quality and can-do attitude. This is instilled in them as they progress through the university. It is what makes them so popular with graduate recruiters.

“Not only does Nottingham provide an outstanding academic education, it also offers students the extra dimensions that result in them leaving as well-rounded individuals ready to take their place in the world. Their careers services is exemplary and offers outstanding opportunities to students, who often get to meet their future employers through placements and work experience undertaken alongside their studies.”

The University of Nottingham has a strong worldwide reputation for producing sought after graduates. The University was ranked as the second most targeted university by the Times Top 100 Employers, according to High Fliers research in 2015 and 2016 and number one in 2014.