Gossip: Which employer; Happiness not cash, Priceless gifts; Gender divide

"Competition for the best graduates remains intense, which is why employers spend so much each year to build and maintain their profiles on campus," says Chris Phillips, UK publishing director at Graduate careers publisher GTI. But what makes a student choose one employer over another?

The GTI Employer of choice survey 2006, records 20,000 students and recent graduates' responses to employment in over 16 sectors.

Most said they were more interested in training and development opportunities than starting salary, and were almost as keen to approve of the environmental policies of the organisation.

In finance and law, students were influenced by employers' reputations.

With 20 per cent of the total vote, the investment banking and investment sector was the most popular sector of work.

Happiness Rather Than High Salaries

An astute new breed of 16-year-olds is emerging in the UK, challenging the old notion that the youth of today lacks drive.

According to the second City & Guilds Youth Aspiration Index - an annual monitor of the career goals of Britain's 11- to 18-year-olds - 16-year-olds have surfaced as the most savvy of the group, more likely than any other age to choose hard work and happiness over high salaries.

Despite common misconceptions of young people being lazy and unmotivated, the Index reveals that today's school leavers are not afraid of a little hard graft, with most 16-year-olds (81 per cent) prepared to work long hours to reach their goals.

Inspired by role models such as Richard Branson, Sir Alan Sugar and Jamie Oliver (above) - who they believe got to where they are through hard work and determination - 23 per cent of 16-year-olds surveyed also have visions of running their own business. This ambition grows stronger as they get older, with 25 per cent of 17-year-olds and 38 per cent of 18-year-olds hoping to set up shop.

At this time of year, 16-year-olds are considering whether to remain in education or seek employment. The Index shows they put more thought into their careers than any other age group, with a fifth (19 per cent) thinking about getting a job more than anything else and a quarter (24 per cent) considering their future all the time.

Priceless Gifts

World Vision's Alternative Gift Catalogue offers you the chance to buy a range of educational gifts, such as a school stationery kit, desk or a contribution towards teacher training. The idea is that you buy these gifts for family and friends in the UK, but the items are given to children living in poverty in developing countries. The friend or family member receives a personalised card plus gift certificate.

www.greatgifts.org

Dream Jobs And The Gender Divide

Britain's future workers also have clear ideas about the professions they admire and want to work in, with gender stereotypes for girls and boys set at a young age.

Twelve per cent of 11- to 14-year-old girls want to be hairdressers or beauty therapists when they grow up, rising to 18 per cent when they are 15 to18 years old.

And World Cup fever seems to have captured the imagination of the younger 11- to 14-year-old boys: over a quarter want to be footballers.

While boys tend to prefer sports roles, girls look towards nurturing positions, such as working with animals. However, as they get older, perspectives change and horizons broaden, with the medical profession becoming more appealing.