24 June 08 – First series apprentice winner to host new national employment awards

Tim Campbell, winner of the first series of The Apprentice, and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust, is to host the first national Local Employment Partnership awards being held in London on 1 July.

Tesco, Nissan Motors and HSBC are among the 20 UK employers which have made it onto the shortlist for the awards. The finalists are in the running to win one of six awards which recognise outstanding contributions made by employers, employees and partners involved in LEPs - the Government’s new partnership approach to help disadvantaged jobseekers back into work.

Campbell, who won The Apprentice in 2005, said: "Being hired by Sir Alan to be his apprentice gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know from experience how important it is to be given a chance and how it can change your life for the better. Local Employment Partnerships are giving thousands of people the opportunity to reach their full potential.

“The employers and employees shortlisted for LEP awards are great examples of the fantastic results that Local Employment Partnerships are bringing about, and the opportunities they are creating up and down the country."

The winners will be announced at an inaugural Awards presentation ceremony at the Brit Oval in London on 1 July.  The winners will be selected by a judging panel, drawn from the public and private sector and chaired by Stephen Timms, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform.  For further information about the awards visit http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/jcp/employers/lep/awards/

Notes to Editors

The Bright Ideas Trust is a charity which works with young people with good business ideas and provides them with advice, guidance and funding to help them get their ideas off the ground. For more information visit www.brightideastrust.com.

The shortlisted employers are as follows:

• Employer award for work-life balance
  • Capita Life and Pensions (Glasgow)
  • Tesco (Haydock, Merseyside)
  • Tulip Cleaning Services (Malvern, Worcestershire)
• Employer award for best practice in recruitment
  • Debenhams (Llandudno and Bangor, North Wales)
  • London Central/General Buses (London)
  • Tesco (Aston, Birmingham)
  • The Village Hotel (Ashton under Lyne, Tameside)
• Employer award for best practice in career progression
  • Marriott Hotels (Cardiff and St Pierre, Wales)
  • Norfolk County Services (Norwich)
  • Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel (London)
• Partnership award for best practice in partnership working
  • Coventry City Council (Coventry)
  • Debenhams/Liverpool ONE (Liverpool)
  • Nissan Motors (Sunderland)
  • Tameside Employment Partnership (Tameside)
• Individual Award for success in overcoming barriers to employment
  • Mark Farrell (Asda) (Harrogate, North Yorkshire)
  • Muhammad Taher (Randstad) (Birmingham)
  • Trevor Chandler (Coventry City Council) (Coventry)
• Individual award for outstanding achievement in learning and training
  • Gary Fuller (Exemplar Healthcare) (Rotherham)
  • Duncan Ferguson (Stellar UK) (Irvine, Scotland)
  • Chris Gernon (HSBC) (Coventry)

The judging panel, chaired by Stephen Timms, comprises:

• John Cridland, Deputy Director General CBI
• Chris Humphries, Chief Executive, Commission for Employment and Skills
• David Lammy, Minister for Skills
• Frances O’Grady, Deputy General Secretary TUC
• Jackie Orme, Chief Executive, CIPD
• Helen Reynolds, Acting Chief Executive, Recruitment and Employment Federation
• Andrew Taylor, Employment Editor, Financial Times

For further information about the awards visit http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/jcp/employers/lep/awards/

Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) are based on a ‘deal’ with employers:

• The Government, through Jobcentre Plus, takes steps to understand employers’ requirements and gets disadvantaged people ready for work;
• Employers with vacancies give people a fair shot at the job – through a range of measures which might include adjusting recruitment processes, offering work trials or guaranteed interviews, work placements, mentoring etc.
• As of the beginning of June 2008, nearly 9,000 people have found work through LEP with more than 1,400 employers

Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age and is a key element in the Government's objectives to help people based on ‘Work for those who can, support for those who cannot’. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work.

For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

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