One week to go until nominations close for national awards celebrating employment success stories

Only one week remains to nominate companies and individuals for the first annual Local Employment Partnership (LEP) Awards, with entries closing on Friday 2 May 2008.

The six category awards, to be presented at the Oval in London on 1 July, celebrate and recognise the outstanding contributions made by employers, employees and partners involved in LEPs ñ partnerships which aim to help 250,000 long-term unemployed into sustainable work by December 2010.

They will be judged by a panel of employment experts drawn from the private and public sector and mark the first full year of the new partnership approach across England, Wales and Scotland.

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Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, Stephen Timms, said:

ìThe Local Employment Partnership Awards will give employers the opportunity to showcase some of the excellent work they have been doing to help disadvantaged people into work, as well as tell the stories of employees whose lives are being transformed through the scheme. I hope employers and partners will consider whether they or one of their LEP employees would be eligible to enter.î

The award is open to LEP employers, partners involved in delivering LEPs and to people who have found work through the local partnerships.

Entries can be submitted online through the dedicated awards website (www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/up) until the closing date of Friday 2 May 2008.

The judging panel will be chaired by the Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, Stephen Timms. Panel members include:

John Cridland, Deputy Director General CBI;
Chris Humphries, Chief Executive, Commission for Employment and Skills;

Frances OíGrady, Deputy General Secretary TUC;

David Lammy, Minister for Skills;

Jackie Orme, Chief Executive, CIPD;

Helen Reynolds, Acting Chief Executive, Recruitment and Employment Federation.