Accredited companies : Yorkshire Forward

About Us

Yorkshire Forward was set up by Government to promote sustainable economic development throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region. One of England's nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) we are a business led organisation that aims to help improve the region's relative economic performance and reduce social and economic disparities.

Yorkshire Forward supports the expansion and development of business in our region by encouraging public and private investment, and by connecting people to economic opportunity. We also work to improve levels of education, learning and skills, and do all that we can to enhance the region's environment and infrastructure.

Our aim is to maintain and develop this success, making Yorkshire and Humber a truly world-class region in which to live, work and invest.

Yorkshire Forward was named as one of the Sunday Times top 100 employers in 2006.

NCWE Quality Mark

Yorkshire Forward wanted to gain recognition for the high standard our Undergraduate Placement Scheme has reached.

The scheme first began in 2003, with only one Undergraduate being taken on in that initial year. The scheme has grown rapidly and we are currently recruiting ten Undergraduates for the 07/08 programme. We pride ourselves on providing placements for students with the opportunity to develop their skills and take on real responsibilities in preparation for their future careers.

We also want to ensure we attract the best Undergraduates to our scheme, and gaining the Quality Mark will help us to do this by promoting us as a quality provider of work experience.

We strive to make improvements to the scheme each year, and the robust accreditation process has allowed us to build on our existing scheme and introduce new ideas.

Work Experience Opportunities

Yorkshire Forward offers twelve month Undergraduate placements to those students who are required to complete a year in industry as part of their degree.

The placements are located across our different departments and regions, and we currently have ten Undergraduates on the scheme. Visit the Yorkshire Forward website to find out more about their work experience opportunities.

Quality Mark - Key success factors for Yorkshire Forward

Some of the key factors that stood out to the NCWE Board in Yorkshire Forwards application were:

• The strong commitment from senior management.
• The national press and PR surrounding the programme facilitate raising the profile of regional development organisations.
• Recruitment process for students follows the same procedures as the recruitment process for permanent staff.
• Meetings with careers placement tutors ensure academic work is incorporated into the placement.
• Long handover periods with previous employees on placement to give the student a good idea about the company and what is required from them
• Students take turns to chair meetings, pushing them out of their comfort zones and providing them with valuable transferable skills.
• Students agree objectives with their line managers and attend training which provides them with portable qualifications.
• All students are required to complete a handbook which records achievements and recognises any additional training needs.
• Managers are given guidance notes and coaching skills on how they should manage students.
• There is recognition of career options outside of the company and the importance of gaining transferable skills is incorporated into the scheme.
• Lessons learned during the work placement are recorded in the management manual.

Other comments from the Board were:

"A lot of effort is put in to ensure that students feel like part of the team from the beginning of their placement."

"Job swaps are encouraged by Yorkshire Forward to provide students with experience across a variety of sectors so they can make an informed decision about career choices."

The company were also Highly Commended at the NCWE 2006/07 Awards in the Public Sector - Long Term Placement category.