Lockheed Martin UK, which has a major operation in Portsmouth, has been named as one of the best places to get an internship after becoming an award winner at the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) Awards 2010.

The leading technology company beat five organisations including the Environment Agency and PricewaterhouseCoopers to win the ‘Best Work Experience Provider as Nominated by a Student’ category, following a nomination from a student at the University of Surrey.

The winners* were announced yesterday (23 March 2010) during a ceremony at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London. Gordon McKenzie, director for the office for graduate opportunities for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills presented 23 NCWE Awards* across 11 categories, rewarding companies that have demonstrated exceptional work placements.

Andrea Labrum, recruitment specialist at Lockheed Martin UK said: “We’ve watched our interns grow from inexperienced students to confident and proficient professionals, which is extremely rewarding for us. To have been recognised for the experience we offer is the icing on the cake.”

Heather Collier, director of the NCWE comments: “We’re now in the seventh year of the awards and their increasing popularity reflects the growing importance of work experience in allowing students to develop skills while providing companies a talent pool for recruitment. It was clear that Lockheed Martin offers outstanding support and responsibility to their interns, which helped make them a winner.”

The NCWE Awards encourage and reward employers who take the lead in the provision of valuable work placement opportunities for undergraduates; 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. More than 250 companies entered the NCWE Awards 2010.

This year’s sponsors include Changeboard, AGR, GlaxoSmithKline and Centrica. For further information visit www.work-experience.org/awards.

Note to editors:
Picture caption L-R: Laura Maybury, Alec Rayner and Andrea Labrum from Lockheed Martin UK with Gordon McKenzie and Heather Collier (NCWE)

*Full list of winners including those short-listed and highly commended:

Overall winner 2010: TUI Travel PLC

Over 250 Employees - Long term placements employing less than 20 students (4-12 months)
Winner: TUI Travel PLC
Highly Commended: Yorkshire Forward
Fujitsu
Carnival UK
Magnox North
Badenoch & Clark

Over 250 Employees - Long term placements employing more than 20 students (4-12 months)
Winner: Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Highly Commended: Accenture
GlaxoSmithKline
IBM UK Ltd
Microsoft
PSA Peugeot Citroen

Over 250 Employees - Short term placements (0-3 Months)
Winner: Centrica
Highly Commended: Barclays Capital
BP
Shell
Citi
Accenture

10-250 employees
Winner: ProspectSoft Ltd
Highly Commended: learnpurple
Portal Technology Systems Limited
px
Asidua
Quantum TM

Under 10 employees
Winner: Audiences North East
Highly Commended: Fuel
Remode
Petersens PR
Surface + Light + Space
Blue Rocket

Public sector
Winner: BBC (BBC Blast)
Highly Commended: Yorkshire Forward
Civil Service Fast Stream
Bank of England
Welsh Assembly Government
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton : Information Technology Group

Charitable sector
Winner: Which?
Highly Commended: Bryson Family Services
British Red Cross
Southern Housing Group
Barnardo's
Cancer Research UK

New placement schemes (within last 2 years)
Winner: TUI Travel PLC
Highly Commended: The University of Nottingham, Centre for Career Development
Lexington Catering Ltd
The Co-operative Group
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Lidl Limited

Best Work Experience Provider - As nominated by a careers adviser, jobshop or placement tutor
Winner: International Sourcing Limited
Highly Commended: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Axion Consulting
Saltire Foundation
Crocodile Clips Ltd
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP

Best Work Experience Provider - As nominated by a student
Winner: Lockheed Martin UK
Highly Commended: Saltire Foundation
International Sourcing Limited
Environment Agency
Yooz
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Best Work Placement Diversity Scheme
Winner: Pinsent Masons LLP
Highly Commended: Citi
GlaxoSmithKline
Civil service Fast stream
Barclays Wealth
Channel 4 Television Corporation

NCWE
The National Council for Work Experience is part of HECSU, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit. It promotes, supports and develops quality work experience for the benefit of students, organisations and the economy. This includes disseminating information and good practice, the development of quality standards and more employers to provide placement opportunities. Nominations for 2011 awards will open in September 2010.