Deadline approaches for employment award nominations

People planning to nominate companies and individuals for the first annual Local Employment Partnership (LEP) Awards are urged to get their entries in now.

The deadline for entries for the new awards has been set as Friday May 2nd 2008 and a total of six categories have been created to honour outstanding contributions made by employers, employees and partners involved in LEPs.

LEPs are intended to help 250,000 long-term unemployed into sustainable work by the end of 2010 and the awards are open to all LEP employers, partners involved in delivering LEPs and those who have found work through the partnerships.

Awards will be presented at the Oval in London on July 1st and will be judged by a panel of employment experts from across the private and public sector. Employers taking part in LEPs are offering experience in a range of fields, including interim jobs, marketing jobs and finance jobs.

Stephen Timms, employment and welfare reform minister, said: "The Local Employment Partnership Awards will give employers the opportunity to showcase some of the excellent work they have been doing to help disadvantaged people into work, as well as tell the stories of employees whose lives are being transformed through the scheme."

Collaborations between government and business, LEPs are designed to tackle recruitment and skills challenges and provide new employment opportunities for people. Employers are asked to help offer interviews, mentoring, on the job training or work trials in order to get people back into the workplace.