Small can be beautiful when it comes to work experience

Shetland Seafood Auctions has won the National Council for Work Experienceís (NCWE) overall Award for Best Work Experience Provider at the NCWEís fifth annual Awards, held at the Caf Royal, London, on the 12th March.

This yearís award-winning organisations come from a diverse background and a range of sizes and industry sectors from all over the UK. Finalists include some of the UKís biggest household names such as Virgin Atlantic Airways and Johnson & Johnson but smaller and less familiar employers are also well represented, including the overall award winner, Shetland Seafood Auctions Ltd.

Shetland Seafood Auctions is a small company based in Lerwick and employs just seven members of staff. The business operates a flexible electronic auction which allows buyers to purchase fish directly or online. Heather Collier, Manager of the NCWE, commented:

ìWe are delighted to have presented Shetland Seafood Auctions with the overall Award for Best Work Experience provider. We chose Shetland Seafood Auctions because it provided an outstanding scheme for students that allowed the placement student to develop a varied and impressive skill-set through the one- to-one mentoring provided by the company. Taking place in a comparatively remote geographical location where recruitment and retention of talent is often an extra challenge for employers, the excellent quality of Shetland Seafood Auctions work-experience scheme really stood out.î

The NCWE Awards, established in 2003, highlight the growing importance of work experience in allowing students to develop transferable skills whilst also providing companies with an accessible talent pool for recruitment. The Awards recognise, encourage and reward employers who take the lead in the provision of valuable work placement opportunities for students; setting high standards for others to follow by offering fulfilling work placements that help students to bridge the gap between education and the world of work.

Presenting the Awards, David Frost, Director General of the British Chamber of Commerce, commented:

The value of work experience cannot be understated. It provides people with something they canít get from a school classroom or a university lecture hall. Real learning, especially knowledge of the world of business, comes from spending time in a business, watching the hustle and bustle but more importantly getting actively involved. When I visit companies across the UK, I encourage more businesses to get actively involved and to support initiatives such as the NCWEís work experience quality mark.

Sponsored by Centrica, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), the 2007/08 NCWE Awards span nine categories and this year over 200 entries were received. The winner and highly commended award in each category were chosen following a visit to all the short-listed organisations by NCWE personnel to review and assess the work-experience programmes.

The full list of Award winners is as follows:

Overall Winner - NCWE Awards 2007/08
Shetland Seafood Auctions

Over 250 Employees ñ long term placements (4-12 months)
Winner: Virgin Atlantic Airways
Highly Commended: Microsoft; HJ Heinz Company Ltd

Over 250 Employees ñ short term placements (0-3 months)
Winner: IBM Extreme Blue
Highly Commended: Procter & Gamble

10 - 250 Employees (sponsored by Centrica)
Winner: Controlled Therapeutics (Scotland) Ltd
Highly Commended: Paradise Park, Cornwall

Under 10 Employees (sponsored by PWC)
Winner: Shetland Seafood Auctions Ltd
Highly Commended: AppSwing Limited

Public Sector
Winner: Yorkshire Forward
Highly Commended: Lancashire County Developments Limited/Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board

Charitable Sector
Winner: Lancaster University Volunteering Unit
Highly Commended: Barnardoís; Portal Technology Systems Limited

Best Work Experience Provider as Nominated by a Student
Winner: Johnson & Johnson Wound Management
Highly Commended: BBC (Radio Newsroom)

Best Work Experience Provider as Nominated by a Careers Adviser or Placement Tutor
Winner: Xtrac Ltd
Highly Commended: Steve Hughes Car Sales

For more information on the NCWE awards and work experience placements - www.work-experience.org, 0845 6015510