The University of Manchester has been named the most targeted university by the UK’s top 100 graduate employers in 2022.
According to the Graduate Market – an independent annual review of graduate vacancies and starting salaries at the UK’s leading employers – the city’s flagship university has taken the top spot on the 2021-2022 list, thanks to research carried out by High Flyers.
Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Warwick, Cambridge, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Oxford are among the other universities in the top 10.
This isn’t the first time that the University of Manchester has had a place on this list either, as this is now the 17th year that High Flyers Research has produced the independent assessment of the graduate job market, and in that time, no other institution has been number one more frequently than UoM, or ranked as consistently amongst the top three.
“I’m thrilled that the University has reclaimed top spot as the most popular destination for the UK’s biggest employers to find the best and brightest graduates,” said Pofessor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students at UoM.
🎓“It is a testament to all the effort and hard work our students and graduates put into their studies and additional activities that gives them the edge over other graduates.”
“It’s a testament to all the effort and hard work that our students and graduates put into their studies and additional activities that gives them the edge over other graduates.”
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Anne Milligan – Employer Engagement Manager at UoM – added: “This is a fantastic achievement, especially following the circumstances of the past two years, as the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for students, staff, and employers.
“I’m truly appreciative of the all the hard work and energy put in to supporting recruiters in the UK and globally for the benefit of our students and graduates.”
On a wider scale, this latest report confirms that the number of graduate opportunities for final year university students from the ‘Class of 2022’ is now 11% higher than the pre-pandemic in graduate vacancies recorded in 2019.
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Graduate starting salaries at the UK’s top employers are rising too for the first time in eight years – with a new median of £32,000.
Featured Image – The University of Manchester
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
10th March 2022 
