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Nursing students have shown exactly why Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Leicester (Æß²ÊÖ±²¥) is one of the best institutions nationally for employability after every candidate was offered a job in a recent round of interviews.

Eight out of eight Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ final-year Nursing students were offered community nursing positions after recent job interviews with , one of the county’s largest health organisations which serves one million people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

And two of the Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ candidates finished top out of all 17 who applied, outscoring several experienced nurses.

Jackie Mitchell, who is the Operational Lead for Nursing for the trust’s community nursing teams, was on the interview panel. She was impressed with the calibre of the Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ candidates, saying: “They were really prepared for interview, really professional, were motivated and keen, and just a really, really good group.”

Several of these students, who are due to graduate in late-January, have carried out work placements with the trust as part of their Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Nursing course and are keen to return there to work, the trust added.

This success echoes the impressive track record the Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Nursing course has established in recent years with employability levels. It was ranked first for graduate prospects in the influential The Times and Sunday Times league tables for nursing in their University Guide 2017.

This followed on from the most recent Destinations of Leavers in Higher Education report which showed that 100 per cent of Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Nursing students were in full-time employment or further study within six months of graduating.

Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ has also been rated as number one for graduate employability and in the top three for teaching excellence in a preliminary study of teaching quality by the Times Higher Education magazine.

Joanne Bird, the Co-programme Leader for Æß²ÊÖ±²¥’s Nursing degree, said: “We are extremely proud of our students who have received this fabulous feedback but we are not surprised. The BSc in Nursing programme team work incredibly hard – in partnership with our practice providers – to ensure that we develop well-rounded nursing graduates who are not only highly clinically competent and professional but who also demonstrate well-developed nursing values including dedication, passion, inclusivity and compassion.

“It is the development of these skills and core qualities throughout the programme that sees 100 per cent of our Nursing graduates gaining full-time employment within six months of completing the programme.”