Members of staff from each School, as well as employer partners and students, were in attendance. The event started with a drinks reception, before the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Jennings got the event underway, this was followed by the awards ceremony which was accompanied with a formal dinner.
Scholars were recognised for their achievements during their time on placement or internship at the University.
The nominees worked across a range of organisations, both large and small, national, and international and public and private sector this included Beta Booster, Bedfordshire Police, Brockington College, Cummins, Estee Lauder, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Mantra Insurance, Northampton Saints Rugy Club and Smurfit Kapa. All the nominees demonstrated excellence in multiple areas.
John Morton, a third-year Product Design Engineering student at the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering took home the prize for 'Undergraduate placement in large private sector organisation (>250 employees)' for his outstanding achievements whilst completing his industrial placement year at Smurfit Kappa.
John said, "I had such a fantastic time during my placement year and I would like to thank everyone who was a part of my development. It would not have been possible without the incredible amount of support I received from both the University and Smurfit Kappa."
The winners across the eight categories were as follows:
- Future Talent Award – Nyasha Mukonoweshuro
- Year in Enterprise – Florence Parker
- Undergraduate placement in large private sector organisation (>250 employees) – John Morton
- Undergraduate placement in a private sector organisation (<251 employees) – Tabitha Banks
- Undergraduate placement in public/third sector – Robbie Bridges
- Talent Match Micro-Internships – Oscar Richards
- Postgraduate Placement - Shikhar Shrivastava
- Talent Match Finalists - Vedika Bansal
The impact of gaining work experience was demonstrated throughout the event. Over 2,000 undergraduate students undertook a year-long placement in over 40 different countries, and the University has consistently supported one of the largest cohorts of students undertaking work placements in the UK over the last five years.