The University of Manchester has launched a campaign to encourage graduates to remain in Greater Manchester.

Known as the Manchester Graduate Internship Programme, the campaign's main aim is to ensure that employers in the region have access to talent honed in Manchester.

The programme will provide graduates with work experience in companies in the region. The internships will last up to a year and the Co-operative Group is one organisation that has already expressed an interest, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Hannah Slaney, graduate recruitment manager, at the Co-operative Group told the paper: "Manchester University graduates can hit the ground running."

The University of Manchester is the world's fifth most popular higher education establishment for employers.

One of the reasons why the Bank of New York set up a European base in Manchester Piccadilly was because of the large number of talented graduates.

In fact, the bank is about to open a second office in Spinningfields.