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HLSM Plus

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BCU Business Services now include and replace our SME business support previously offered through BCU Advantage. Discover more.

What

Account managed graduate recruitment service

Who

SMEs and larger organisations in
Birmingham Enterprise Zone¹

When

Accepting new enquiries until March 2026

Cost

Free recruitment service²

Recruiting in Birmingham Enterprise Zone?

Are you a business or organisation based in ¹Birmingham Enterprise Zone looking to acquire new skills and talent?

Higher Level Skills Match Plus (HLSM Plus) has been created to support you with exactly that and could be the free recruitment service you need to help you realise your employee ambitions.

What is HLSM Plus?

HLSM Plus is a fully funded graduate recruitment service designed and launched to exclusively support businesses and organisations of all sizes located within the Birmingham Enterprise Zone.

HLSM Plus is led by Birmingham City University and delivered by a consortium of higher education institutions including the University of Birmingham, Aston University and University College Birmingham.

The service is supported by associate delivery partners including the Department for Work and Pensions, Job Centre Plus, National Careers Service and Birmingham City Council.

The HLSM Plus partnership:

  • Birmingham City University
  • Aston University
  • University College Birmingham
  • University of Birmingham
  • Birmingham City Council
  • Birmingham Enterprise Zones

How can HLSM Plus support me?


Becoming a client of HLSM Plus will enable you to access a wide and varied talent pool of graduates from the city’s leading universities, giving your recruitment activities a wider reach and an increased chance of finding the right employees for your needs.

When joining HLSM Plus, to help you identify and acquire new skills and talent for your organisation, you will be matched with a personal HLSM Plus Account Manager.

Your Account Manager will support you through your end-to-end recruitment journey, from helping you to identify the skills, knowledge and resource gaps within your business to searching for graduates, reviewing CVs, screening the right candidates for your positions, and supporting you through interviews and new recruit onboarding.

Your HLSM Plus Account Manager will also offer continued support and guidance for 12 months following the appointment of your work-ready graduate(s).

HLSM Plus will be taking on new clients up until March 2026 when applications for the service close.

How much will the service cost me?

²The HLSM Plus service is free to all qualifying businesses based within the Birmingham Enterprise Zone due to funding provided by Birmingham City Council.

Why choose HLSM Plus?

  • 1. Benefit from a free end-to-end recruitment service

    The fully-funded HLSM Plus account managed recruitment service will support you all the way from identifying your business skill requirements to searching for, screening, and onboarding your new graduate employees.

  • 2. 12 months of additional support

    After securing your graduate(s), HLSM Plus will provide on-the-job wrap around support for your new recruits and your organisation for their first 12 months of employment, helping you to maximise the potential of the new skills and talent you have acquired.

  • 3. Strengthen recruitment practices and pipeline

    The HLSM Plus service will give you access to inclusive recruitment learning resources to help improve your search and selection practices. You will also get the option to co-design HLSM Plus skills workshops to ensure the development of future graduate talent meets your business needs.

  • 4. Access a wide talent pool

    Through HLSM Plus you’ll have access to Birmingham’s local talent pool of 38,000 graduates and final year students looking for jobs – giving you access to a wide variety of potential recruits to choose from.  

  • 5. Build long-term connections

    By joining the HLSM Plus service you’ll build mutually beneficial relationships with Birmingham’s leading universities and gain access to additional business support opportunities and events.

Enquire about recruiting with HLSM Plus

Send an enquiry and a member of the team will be in touch to discuss your needs.

Enquire Now

HLSM Plus clients include:

  • Goldman Sachs
  • Glide
  • The Eastside Rooms
  • GMI Construction Group

Other ways we can support your business