Mars has seen the number of applications for its graduate scheme rise by 100% to 3,700, compared with 1,800 last year.

The confectionery company is to take on 24 university leavers next month to help them become the business leaders of the future.

The firm offers six schemes in management development, research and development, sales, finance, procurement and engineering and, despite the economic climate, has not made any changes to the numbers of its graduate scheme intake.

Aileen Richards, Mars' HR vice president, started out on the graduate training scheme. She said: "Since joining as a graduate, I have had careers in three completely different areas of Mars - human resources, purchasing and supply - you can't ask for better personal development than that."

Fiona Dawson, MD of Mars Chocolate UK, also started her career at Mars on its graduate training scheme. Other senior executives, including Sainsbury's CEO Justin King, Adam Crozier, CEO of Royal Mail, and Richard Baker, the former CEO at Boots, all started out on Mars' graduate scheme.

Mars will start taking applications for next year's graduate scheme from 1 September.