One week left to enter the Local Employment Partnership awards 2009

24 November 2008

Only one week remains for those involved in Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) to enter their success stories into the LEP Awards 2009.

The awards were introduced by Jobcentre Plus to celebrate the success of the business and government partnerships, which have so far provided employment opportunities for more than 50,000 people in their local communities.

Every English region and Scotland and Wales will have their own ceremony to recognise employers, employees and partner organisations that have gone the extra mile to help disadvantaged people get into the workplace.

Employers who have recruited through LEPs are eligible to nominate themselves, their employees and partner organisations for six awards ranging from Unlocking Talent to Recruitment Innovation.

Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, Tony McNulty said:

“We’ve already had hundreds of entries to the LEP Awards 2009, but with more than 10,000 employers signed up to LEPs and thousands of people who have found jobs through the partnerships, we’re convinced that there are lots of examples of best practice we haven’t yet heard about.

“I’ll be attending the national and some of the regional LEP Awards ceremonies next year and am looking forward to hearing the inspiring stories of those who have changed lives for the better.

“The closing date for nominations is 28 November, so be sure to complete a nomination form online before then.”

Winners of the Regional and Country awards will automatically be entered into the National awards, to be held in London in June next year and hosted by Tim Campbell, winner of the first series of The Apprentice and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust.

More details on the individual awards criteria and an online nomination form are available at http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Employers/lep/Awards_2009/index.html

Nominations close on 28 November 2008 and the short-listed companies in each of the Regions and Countries will be announced during January 2009. 

Notes

Regional LEP Awards

Award Categories

Outstanding LEP Achievement

The winner of this award will be selected from the winners of the six other categories. It will be presented to the employer, individual or partnership who has clearly demonstrated outstanding achievement through LEP.

Recruitment Innovation Award

The LEP employer who wins this award will have demonstrated a high degree of innovation in their recruitment and retention practices by providing evidence of:

• How they have taken a different approach to their recruitment practices through LEP, for the benefit of the local community
• How they have been innovative and creative to aid staff retention supported by figures which demonstrate an improvement in their rate of staff turnover; and
• Initiatives that support or enhance work-life balance. Examples could include creative initiatives to help lone parents enter work, or support which enables people with disabilities to enter and remain in work

Commitment to Diversity Award

The LEP employer who wins this award will have shown a commitment to diversity in recruitment by demonstrating evidence of:

• How they have actively recruited people from diverse backgrounds who have previously been overlooked in the labour market
• Recruiting from the social groups who reflect the make up of the local community; and
• A recruitment campaign (s) demonstrating a positive approach to recruiting a diverse workforce. This could include recruitment advertising campaigns which actively target certain groups such as older workers or lone parents.

Unlocking Talent Award

The employer who wins this award will have shown a commitment to developing their LEP workforce and will excel at unlocking and nurturing talent and have demonstrated this by providing evidence of:

• Successful pre-employment initiatives through LEP, giving a specific example
• Clear career progression paths available to LEP employees; and
• The benefits gained by individuals and the organisation of workforce development

Getting Back to Work Award

The employee who wins this award will have shown the achievements they have made to secure employment with a LEP employer. This will be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• The personal or skills based barriers they have overcome
• Pre-employment initiatives provided to them by the employer, Jobcentre Plus and/or partners through LEP; and
• Subsequently gaining employment with a LEP employer

Work Skills Award

The employee who wins this award will have shown outstanding achievement in developing themselves and their skills. This will be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• Taking up opportunities offered by their LEP employer to develop their skills
• The additional skills this employee has gained from in-house training, such as customer service or IT, as well as personal development like an increase in confidence levels or interpersonal skills; and
• The difference the upskilling has made to their lives

Partnership Works Award

The partnership who wins this award will have shown how Government, employers and third parties have worked together in a LEP arrangement to secure jobs that benefit local communities. This will be demonstrated by providing evidence of:

• Understanding the needs of the local community with the subsequent development of partnership working initiatives which have met the community needs
• Sharing information and good practice to secure jobs through LEP; and
• Engaging individuals and helping them to secure sustainable employment through LEP

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.

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.
• By November 2008, more than 50,000 people had found work through LEP with more than 10,000 employers.
• LEPs are on course to provide more than 250,000 opportunities for disadvantaged jobseekers by the end of 2010.

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

Media Enquiries: 0203 267 5144
DWP Press Office: 0203 267 5125
Out of hours:07659 108 883
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk