Graduate Programmes

We typically recruit graduates across our 3M UK sites into the following areas:

• Engineering and manufacturing
• Research and development
• Business and sales

Here at 3M, we fully advocate a flexible team approach and respect that you are an individual with a private life outside of work. Our graduate programme enables us to look for our leaders of tomorrow. We therefore invest heavily in your training and support, as you explore your own potential and begin a fulfilling career with us.

To fit into our culture, you need enthusiasm and the ability and desire to be part of a supportive team. Drive and ambition will take you a long way in business, but 3M prioritises an innovative and liberating working environment. You’ll not only be given the opportunity to enhance your industry-specific skills, but also develop as a person - and 3M provides the platform on which to do so.

We see the key to increased productivity as a happy, fulfilled workforce, so go the extra mile to ensure that this is the case for all 3Mers. You’ll be given real responsibility right from the start and you’ll have plenty of scope to explore opportunities throughout the organisation.

Training and development

There are countless opportunities to grow and develop at 3M, helping you develop for both your current job and your future career. Here at 3M, we advocate a "70/20/10" framework:

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• 70% of your development should be experiential learning, or on-the-job development, where the employee develops specific skills to suit the dynamic requirements of their role.
• 20% of development should be learning through others (via 3M’s coaching and mentoring schemes).
• 10% of development should be through formal training.

In addition to this framework, 3M offers various career planning tools, including your own, tailored development plan, designed to build on your strengths and develop necessary skills and 3M’s leadership attributes.

We also provide our graduates with the option to undertake a Further Education. You will be given the opportunity to gain further qualifications, right through to MBAs. Graduates are encouraged and supported to take relevant professional qualifications, including Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS).

Here at 3M, we don’t just provide you with a graduate job, but with a work-life balance that enables you to join a community of like-minded people who make working here a flexible and fantastic experience.

Compensation and benefits

Graduate starting salary: No less than £32,822

In addition to a flexible work-life balance and the opportunity to work for one of the most innovative organisations there is, 3M offers the kind of competitive compensation and benefit options that you’d expect from a world-class organisation.

Your total compensation includes benefit options and resources to help keep you healthy, happy and energised:

• 25 days’ paid annual holiday, plus bank holidays (UK) or 22 days’ paid annual holiday plus bank holidays (Ireland)
• Contributory SMART Stakeholder Pension Scheme with up to 10% employer contribution
• Life Assurance Scheme 4 x salary
• General Employee Stock Purchase Plan providing the opportunity to purchase 3M stock at discounted rates
• Discount on 3M products
• Employee discount scheme providing preferential rates across major UK retailers and service providers
• Reduced subscriptions on various insurance schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Sports clubs and social activities