As undergraduate fears about successfully landing a new job following graduation increase, employers should engage with undergraduates at an earlier stage during their first year of study, according to Richard Irwin, student recruitment manager at professional services firm PwC.

Last week PwC launched the PwC Talent Academy, an intensive three-day business school, in which 100 first year university students take part in a series of group tasks running a fictitious company, tackling three real world business scenarios which aim to demonstrate and test their employability skills.

PwC also surveyed the students on their views on employability and their job prospects. The research reveals that 75% felt that media coverage claiming there are few graduate job opportunities made them more anxious to start building their CV early, while 98% have already taken part in other internships.

Click on the video below to see what Richard Irwin had to say: