The first ever National Placement and Internship Awards, launched by the undergraduate recruitment website RateMyPlacement.co.uk, was held at Oxford Brookes University [Thursday 21 January 2010]. The Awards are designed to celebrate excellence within student work placements and internships, and were attended by well over 100 representatives from leading UK recruiters and universities.
Jane Standley, Director of Brunel Professional Development Centre, said: “We are particularly thrilled to be named the Best Placement or Careers Service because it was the students and employers who voted for us. Being the first winner of this Award reinforces Brunel as a leader of developing graduates for the world of work.“
Amongst the winning companies for internship were Microsoft, who were named 'Best Placement and Internship Employer', Barclays Capital for diversity and ProspectSoft, the Buckinghamshire-based firm who scooped the prize for 'Best SME'.
Aston University received the Award for the University with a Forward Thinking Attitude to Work Experience and £2,000 in prize money was shared between the University College London Economics and Finance Society and a student from Aston University for his outstanding achievements whilst on placement.
RateMyPlacement.co.uk co-founder, Ali Lindsay, said, “Work placements and internships have never been more important than in the current graduate job market, which has the highest level of graduate unemployment for over a decade.
“There is an increasing need for students to graduate from university with skills and experiences that make them employable.“
For more information, visit www.RateMyPlacement.co.uk/awards
Further notes and information
About RateMyPlacement.co.uk
RateMyPlacement.co.uk is an undergraduate recruitment website focused on student placements and internships. Designed and run by three Loughborough University graduates, the website was launched in 2007 and has quickly established itself as the premier resource for students, universities and employers involved in placements and internships.
The website currently receives up to 40,000 student visitors per month and boasts a growing client list of blue-chip organisations such as IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Morgan Stanley.
About the National Placement and Internship Awards
RateMyPlacement.co.uk allows students to rate and review their experiences with employers and from this database of unique, student-generated reviews we are able to establish the leading providers.
These reviews determined the RateMyPlacement Top 20 Employers which can be seen below. Other Award categories were open to entries and nominations.
Contact Details and Further Information:
For more information, quotes and photographs of the event please contact:
Ali Lindsay - Tel: 0118 9402500 / 07946 527792 / ali@ratemyplacement.co.uk
The Top 20 Employers
1. Microsoft
Best Placement and Internship Employer
2. Grant Thornton
3. BDO
4. KPMG
5. Intel
6. PricewaterhouseCoopers
7. BAE Systems
8. Morgan Stanley
9. RBC Capital Markets
10. Pinsent Masons
11. Deloitte
12. Barclays Capital
13. Ernst & Young
14. National Grid
15. Barclays
16. George
17. Cummins
18. Cancer Research UK
19. Rolls-Royce
20. IBM
Best Small and Medium-sized Enterprise
ProspectSoft Ltd
Best New Provider of Work Experience
Research In Motion
Best Diversity in Work Experience
Barclays Capital
Best University Placement Service
Brunel University
The Award for the University with a Forward Thinking Attitude to Work Experience
Aston University
Outstanding Contribution by a Student on Work Experience
Nick Gilbert, a student from Aston University
The Award for the University Society with a Forward Thinking Attitude to Work Experience
UCL Economics and Finance