Crackergroup Is Formed To Help STEM Graduates

29th August 2012

A new company, dedicated to Careers in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), has been formed as a result of Gradcracker's decision to launch two additional career websites. Crackergroup will comprise gocracker.com, gradcracker.com and procracker.com.

Gradcracker is a well-established leader in the graduate careers field and is the acknowledged SET specialist website. Big industry names - Siemens, BAE Systems, Jaguar Land Rover, Centrica etc - advertise their placement and graduate vacancies on the site and they are, increasingly, being joined by smaller engineering and technology companies.

Gocracker is for secondary schoolchildren and aims to stimulate interest and enthusiasm for a career in SET amongst pupils, their parents and their teachers. Rachel Mutters, Sales and Marketing Director at Crackergroup, said. "There are hundreds of well-meaning organisations and websites trying to convince kids that Science is so exciting and they should study STEM subjects. In fact, we admire the work they do so much that gocracker.com encourages our visitors to follow the links we provide to their websites. But we add an extra ingredient - a big juicy carrot. We, through our employer and industry contacts, can actually show our visitors real careers, often with real global opportunities, and very attractive salaries. We can prove that studying STEM subjects is not only intellectually rewarding but it is also financially rewarding."

With career and sector advice, apprenticeship opportunities, university links and teaching resources, many leading companies are signing up to sponsor gocracker.com. Employers such as Thales, Astrium, National Grid and Rolls-Royce are already supporting the initiative.

Procracker.com completes the SET recruitment picture for Crackergroup as it focuses on careers for experienced professionals. Rachel Mutters said; "We have brought the Gradcracker model to senior recruitment. On gradcracker.com a student can find out everything they need to know about an employer yet, when companies try to advertise senior posts, they find that they are restricted to a few lines of text. On procracker.com, companies own a 'Hub' where they can feature employees, publish company news, advertise their opportunities and talk about life within their organisation. After all, potential employees are often being asked to move house and uproot children - the best we can do is give them a full picture of what's on offer."

All three websites have been built with a responsive design enabling them to be viewed on smartphones, tablets, computers and even televisions through a games console.

Featuring on all the websites is an area purely for females - WinSET (Women in Science, Engineering and Technology). Rachel Mutters said; "Statistics show that a relatively small percentage of the SET workforce is female - we are trying to increase this by featuring employee profiles, blogs and inspirational videos designed to encourage women into this male-dominated industry."

Caterpillar, Babcock, Atkins, Cummins and many more large employers already sponsor WinSET to highlight how they are encouraging a more gender-balanced workforce.