Our
story

Darogan Talent has its origins in our own experiences.

Darogan’s history is a relatively short one. It was an idea that first came to us in 2018. At the time, we were both students at university in England, and like many of our friends, we had always wanted to come home after we graduated. Of course, we found it was easier said than done.

It was challenging to find those Wales-based roles at jobs fairs, and we experienced how Welsh companies didn’t seem to be reaching out to us as effectively as other companies based in London and elsewhere. And we realised that we weren’t the only ones who had had this experience.

With a simple yet ambitious task, we came up with the concept of a graduate network, run by graduates. The aim was, and still is, simple: to connect Welsh graduates with brilliant opportunities across the whole of Wales.

So, our aims are simple: to connect brilliant graduates with graduate opportunities in Wales

The most effective way for us to deliver this is through our digital platforms – which advertise high-quality, career-furthering opportunities, as well as encourage a culture of networking between our business partners and our members. Of course, we know the value of meeting face-to-face too, which is why we will be hosting, alongside our business partners, events for our student and graduate members to make personal connections once we are able to.

It’s at this point we should probably explain the name. ‘Darogan’ traces its history back to Welsh mythology, referring to the ‘Mab Darogan’ (The Son of Destiny). The old Welsh bards prophesied that this messianic figure would return one day, after a long period of slumber, or a journey from a foreign land, in order to redeem the nation. But our take on this is a bit different.

Darogan, for us, has a re-imagined message – helped by adding ‘Talent’ to the end! In short, we need more than just one figure to make a positive impact on Wales: we need thousands of young people to contribute to building our economy across Wales. We want to achieve this by connecting students and graduates who sign-up to our network, both with great employers and with one another. After all, exciting things can happen if you put the right people together.

Theo Davies-Lewis and Owain James, co-founders of Darogan Talent