Graduate careers in Belfast

As Northern Ireland’s largest city and capital, Belfast is a promising place for graduates to find work, with plenty of jobs in the public sector as well as in IT and financial services.

Career city: Belfast | Postgraduate study | Local graduate employers | Moving to Belfast

Belfast’s jobs market is dominated largely by the public sector and this is reflected in the availability of graduate roles in health and social care, education, government and not-for-profit organisations. Those seeking employment as charity workers, nurses, trainee dentists and teachers may well find work in this city.

In recent years, growth has also taken place in a number of private sectors (eg IT, retail, financial services and construction) with multinational firms choosing to base their offices in Belfast. Ongoing opportunities also exist with many household names such as the BBC, PwC and the Big Lottery Fund.

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Postgraduate study in and around Belfast

Queen’s University is a Russell Group member and one of the UK’s leading research-intensive institutions. Postgraduate study is offered across the twenty academic schools at Queen’s with notable achievements in chemistry, environmental research, palaeoecology and law.

The University of Ulster is known for its excellent Celtic studies department and has recently scored highly in regard to its research in biomedical sciences and law.

For aspiring teachers, St Mary’s or Stranmillis University Colleges are highly regarded institutions for study.

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Ten local graduate employers in Belfast

Youth Link, Belfast (Public sector; Social work)
PwC, Belfast (Accounting and finance; Business consulting)
Northern Ireland Civil Service, Belfast (Government; Public sector; Healthcare)
BBC Northern Ireland, Belfast (Media)
Carbon Trust, Belfast (Public sector; Environmental)
University of Ulster, Belfast (Teaching)
Citigroup, Belfast (IT; Legal compliance)
McNicholas Construction, Belfast (Engineering; Quantity surveying; Construction; Logistics)
Ulster Bank, Belfast (Banking and finance)
Big Lottery Fund, Belfast (Administration and secretarial; Finance)

(These companies may not be currently recruiting. Their names have been provided as a guideline to the type of work available and what areas to look in.)

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