It’s good news for science graduates as the UK’s National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) announces the shortlist for its annual awards, which feature science employers in most of the categories.
According to Vicky Miles, the Event Manager for NCWE, nominated employers are judged on three main criteria – what skills the intern will take away from the placement and how much impact they can make on the organisation, the level of support and assessment the person on the placement will get, and what makes that particular placement exceptional compared to the competition. They also take note of the level of payment the employee will receive.
The awards are judged by four external judges, including an employer, a student and two careers experts. The entries are judged blind.
Science in the shortlist
In the category for large organisations, prominent science and technology employers – such as Glaxosmithkline, IMB, BP, and Centrica – featured in each of the sub-categories. The smaller companies category didn’t fare as well for science disciplines, but when it came to charities, both Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support were shortlisted.
The NCWE also included two awards in which nominations come from people who have completed the placement, or a careers advisor who would have heard feedback, says Miles. These from-the-horse’s-mouth nominations included GlaxoSmithKline, IMB and Microsoft.
With an abundance of ‘internships’ cropping up which appear to exploit the overcrowded jobs market, but are really just replacing staff with interns, it’s good to know of companies that offer real opportunity. Of course, plenty of good placements won’t have made it to this list, so for more information on the kinds of things you should look for in a decent placement, read our blog post: Eight ways to get the best internship.
And don’t forget to check out our ever-changing list of placements that are open for you to apply to now: Science internships waiting for your application.
Here is the complete list of shortlisted employers, by cateogry:
Work Placement of the Year 2013:
Best Large Organisation with More than 250 Employees:
Long-term Placements (20+ Students) – Sponsored by TUI UK & Ireland
- Fujitsu
- GlaxoSmithKline
- IBM UK Ltd
- Intel Corporation UK Ltd
- John Lewis Partnership
- Vauxhall Motors
Long-term Placements (Fewer than 20 Students) – Sponsored by Intel
- bp
- Lidl
- Panasonic
- PSA Peugeot Citroen
- The Co-operative Group
- TUI UK & Ireland
Short-term Placements (up to 3 months duration)
- bp
- Centrica Plc
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- Hymans Robertson
- Infosys Ltd
- Motability Operations
Further categories:
Best Organisation with Fewer than 250 Employees
- Ash Gaming Ltd
- Asidua
- Clock
- Petersens PR Ltd
- PPS Works Ltd
- ProspectSoft Ltd
Best Newcomer (for schemes set up within the last 2 years) – Sponsored by GSK
- FMC Technologies
- Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP
- Slater & Gordon
- Teach First
Best Public Sector Placement
- Career Zone (University of Exeter)
- Careers Network, University of Birmingham
- Civil Service Fast Stream
- South West College
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Leeds
Best Charitable Sector Placement
- Blackpool Advocacy
- Bryson Practice Learning Centre
- Cancer Research UK
- Macmillan Cancer Support
- Teach First
Best Law Firm
- Baker & McKenzie
- Bircham Dyson Bell
- Nabarro LLP
- Pinsent Masons
- Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP
- Simmons & Simmons
Graduate Internship of the Year 2013:
Best Organisation with More than 250 Employees – Sponsored by AGR
- BBC
- bp (Class of 2012 Olympic Programme)
- Citi
- Halma plc
- John Lewis Partnership
- Manchester Metropolitan University
Best Organisation with Fewer than 250 Employees
- Advertising Association
- Beverley Building Society
- Change Agents UK
Nomination categories:
Work Placement of the Year – as Nominated by a Careers Adviser, Jobshop or Placement Tutor – Sponsored by PlaceNet
- Biskit Ltd nominated by Sarah Goldstone, The University of Leeds
- East Coast Main Line Company nominated by Jennifer Mowat, University of York
- John Lewis Partnership nominated by Caroline Herz, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Merlin Entertainment Group (Madame Tussauds) nominated by Nicky Smith, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Stephenson Harwood nominated by Claire Smith, Whizz-Kidz
- Wunderman / Y&R Z Academy nominated by Karen Ephram, Bournemouth University
Best Employment Experience – as Nominated by a Student or Graduate Intern
- BBC Journalism Training Scheme nominated by Jasmine Coleman
- GlaxoSmithKline nominated by Martin Peeks
- IBM nominated by Charles Donnell
- Microsoft UK nominated by Olivia Roche
- Petersens PR nominated by Eira Jepson
- PPS Works Ltd nominated by Bavinder Chahal
- University of Edinburgh Careers Service nominated by Amelia Lloyd
- Webfusion Ltd nominated by Randal Whitmore
Best of the Best:
To mark the 10th anniversary of the NCWE Awards, overall winners from the past ten years were invited to enter this special category. Finalists are:
- BBC
- Best Kept Secrets
- Centrica Plc
- Champions Life Academy – Life Party Ltd
- George
- Intel Corporation UK Ltd
- TUI UK & Ireland
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