NCWE announces National Work Experience Award Winners

The BBC Radio Newsroom has won the National Council for Work Experienceís (NCWE) overall Award for the Best Work Experience Provider at the NCWEís annual Awards, held at the Lansdowne Club, London, today (14th March). The Award winning organisations are from a range of sizes and industry sectors; including BP, one of the worldís largest energy companies; Intel, the IT giant; and Cancer Research UK.

The NCWE Awards, developed in 2003, recognise, encourage and reward employers who take the lead in the provision of valuable work placement opportunities for students, and set high standards for others to follow by offering fulfilling work placements that help students develop their employability skills.

Organisations of all sizes and industry sectors are represented at the Awards, which span ten categories and are sponsored by Shell, Centrica, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). The NCWE, acknowledging the increasing range of work experience placements now on offer, has recognised for the first time both long term (3-12 months) and short term (up to 3 months) placements in three of itís categories: Best Work Experience Provider in the Charitable Sector, Best Work Experience Provider in the Public Sector, and organisations with over 250 employees.

Heather Collier, Manager of the NCWE, commented:

ìWe are delighted to have presented the BBC Radio Newsroom with the overall Award for Best Work Experience provider. We chose the Newsroom because it provided an outstanding scheme for students to be immersed in all aspects of its work and provide an experience which gave them the transferable skills and confidence to pursue a career in the sector if they so wished. Given the controversy over work experience in the media recently, it is excellent to see an organisation in the sector really getting it right and providing an example to others in the industry to follow.î

Professor Sir Martin Harris, presenting the awards, commented:

ìWork experience is an very valuable tool for students and graduates and I take great pleasure in being able to acknowledge all the organisations here today who have put together thoughtful and effective programmes. Iíve no doubt they will help underpin and inform participantsí decisions affecting career plans, professional growth and skills development. These employers have also clearly recognised the benefits work experience can bring to their company, in particular in terms of recruitment and also increasing productivity. The range of organisations here today demonstrates just how widely work experience is being integrated through business and I would encourage other organisations to follow the good example laid down by all the organisations recognised here today.î

The full list of Award winners is as follows:

Overall Winner - NCWE Awards 2006/07
British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Newsroom

Over 250 Employees ñ long term placements (3-12 months)
Winner - Intel Corporation
Highly commended - Microsoft

Over 250 Employees ñ short term placements (0-3 months)
Winner - BP plc
Highly commended - Barclays Capital

10 - 250 Employees (sponsored by Centrica)
Winner - Quantum tm
Highly commended - Virgo Health PR

Under 10 Employees (sponsored by PWC)
Winner - Petrus Communications Ltd
Highly Commended - Major League Soccer Camps

Public Sector ñ long term placements (3-12 months)
Winner - Bolton Councilís Adult and Childrenís Services
Highly commended - Yorkshire Forward

Public Sector ñ short term placements (0-3 months
Winner - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Radio Newsroom)
Highly Commended - Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Charitable Sector ñ long term placements (3-12 months)
Winner - Cancer Research UK
Highly commended - StudentForce for Sustainability

Charitable Sector ñ short term placements (0-3 months)
Winner - Derby City Credit Union Ltd
Highly commended - Ouseburn Trust

Best Work Experience Provider as Nominated by a Student
Winner - J. A. McClelland and Sons
Highly Commended - Apples and Pears Marketing

Best Work Experience Provider as Nominated by a Careers Adviser or Placement Tutor
Winner - Apex Hotels Ltd
Highly Commended - J H Richards and Co
Highly Commended - Andrews Angel Solicitors

Judges Special Interest Award
Gurit

Entries to the Awards were assessed on written contributions and a maximum of six companies were short listed in each category. The winner in each category was chosen following a visit to all the short-listed organisations by NCWE personnel.