Now in their second year, the Awards are designed to recognise, encourage and reward commitment by business organisations to work experience and their provision of top quality work placements.
Liz Rhodes, director NCWE, comments:
“This year we have seen some exemplary illustrations of work experience in action. Our winners today have demonstrated that good placements can really benefit both the organisation and the student.
“It was particularly noticeable how canny employers are using work experience to facilitate recruitment: it’s a win win situation all round, employers get to evaluate potential future employees, and the student gets to know the company without making an initial long term commitment.”
Work experience programmes vary widely, but several factors were identified across all organisations which contributed to their success: buy-in across the organisation, from CEO to office administrator, was particularly important; treating the student as a proper employee from the outset; and relishing the challenge that students can bring in terms of fresh ideas and new insights also featured highly. General preparation before the student starts was also seen as essential, this includes allocation of desk space through to training those people who will manage them.
Andy Belcher, staffing consultant at Intel Corporation UK, commented:
“At Intel we are all convinced of the benefits of the student internship programme and it is gratifying to have our efforts recognised. Students make up ten per cent of our workforce in Swindon, and we respect their opinions and challenges to our conventional theories.”
Liz continues:
“Intel Corporation particularly impressed us with its efforts to immerse students in the culture of the company and develop social ties with other students in addition to the sound structure and management of its internship programme.”
This year the Awards are sponsored overall by Fledglings, the graduate placement network, with Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) sponsoring the Public Sector category and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountancy (CIMA) sponsoring the over 250 employees category.
Awards criteria:The criteria for the awards cover all stages of the work placement process including the involvement of managers and staff in the decision to offer a work placement, the administrative processes, the design of an induction programme, objective setting and on-going support, through to the specific outputs generated by the student.
Judges:
Dr Harry Kelly (chair of judging panel), chemistry operations manager at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); Valerie Metcalfe, Director of Careers & Student Employment at the University of Westminster; Nick Coates, work experience student with last year's charitable/voluntary sector winners The National Trust, Dunster Castle; and Paul Jenkins, from George at Asda (last year's overall winner).
Sponsors:
Fledglings (
www.fledglings.net), a UK student resource for industrial placements and graduate jobs and a central source of fresh talent for employers.
CIMA (
www.cimaglobal.com), The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, represents financial managers and accountants who work in industry, commerce, not-for-profit and public sector organisations.
DASA (
www.dasa.mod.uk), the Defence Analytical Services Agency, provides professional analytical & statistical services and advice to the MOD. DASA won the Public Sector category award in 2003.
