RISE Enhancement

The RISE business support initiative helped Sheffield City Region SMEs to hire graduates into their businesses, enabling business growth and retention of graduate talent in the region. RISE was delivered in partnership by Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield, and was part-funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. Gradconsult was the private sector delivery partner.

RISE impact in numbers

£22.3m

£22.3m GVA (gross value added) to the Sheffield City Region of £22.3m over the next 5 years
£1:£19

ROI (return on investment) of £19.10 for every £1 spent.
96%

Of businesses say they would definitely or probably recruit a graduate again.
95%

Of respondents stated the pre-recruitment guidance and support was 'good' or 'excellent'.
90%

Said RISE support has been beneficial to their company.
90%

Of businesses who recruited through RISE said their expectations had been fully met or exceeded.
206

Graduates employed in small and medium sized businesses across the Sheffield City Region
225

Businesses supported across the nine areas of the Sheffield City Region

'The professional assistance and support we have received from the RISE team has made the recruitment process more efficient and enabled us to focus on the right candidate for the job.'

SME feedback
'We were only recruiting one new member of staff but due to the high calibre of interviewees we employed two.'

SME feedback

RISE was a unique business support initiative focussed on enabling business growth and retaining graduate talent within the Sheffield City Region’s economy.
RISE brought together growing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with suitably qualified graduates who match specific business needs; enabling businesses to overcome barriers and develop the know-how to become successful graduate employers. RISE was delivered in partnership by Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield, and is part-funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
As part of RISE, businesses received:
- Graduate-specific labour market advice and expertise
- Free access to a wide pool of talented graduates, candidate matching and interview administration Full support to scope and advertise their graduate role(s) to a national audience
- A robust recruitment process to identify the most suitable candidates for their role/s
- Business support tools and workshop to make the most of your graduate hire
- Graduate development support
The highly acclaimed RISE gave small and medium size firms across Sheffield City Region unparalleled access to a graduate talent pool and wrap-around business support services to help businesses develop and grow.