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Innovative companies STEP up at UEL enterprise awards ceremony

Tuesday 19 September 2006

Local companies and enterprising students from across the UK gathered at the brand new Knowledge Dock Business Centre at the University of East London (UEL) on Thursday 14th September for the East London Shell Step Finals.

Shell Step is the UK’s leading creator of tailored placement projects for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

30 talented undergraduate students took part in this year’s programme in East London, organised by UEL’s Knowledge Dock. The students, who attend universities all over the country, spent eight weeks over the summer researching, developing and delivering business and technical projects for their host companies.

The awards ceremony was the climax to an intensive day of assessment, during which the students presented their final reports to a panel of industry experts.

Ana Avaliani, Innovation Manager for East London at the London Development Agency which part-funds the programme, said: “The SME sector is very competitive and dynamic. Programmes like Shell Step encourage SMEs to be more innovative in their business approach, thus helping them to stay competitive I was particularly impressed by the levels of enthusiasm and creativity demonstrated by all the students, their reports and presentations were of the highest standard.”

Presenting the awards, Gareth Lewis, Enterprise Services Manager at Knowledge Dock said: “The standard of this year’s cohort has been incredible. All the judges commented on how difficult it was to choose a winner from the outstanding entries. I am really proud of all the students who have participated in this year’s competition, the benefits they have delivered to their host companies have been incredible.”

The prize for Most Enterprising Student went to Patrick Hazard, a Product Design undergraduate at Bournemouth University, who undertook his placement at Cyclepod developing a new concept which will complement the company’s exisiting product range. On his award and experience, Patrick said: “I am thrilled to win his award and I am honoured to be representing East London at the regional finals. I have benefitted so much from the placement and to receive this honour, well it’s the icing on the cake!”

“The contrast between a university learning environment and industry is immense. In the university environment there are strict guidelines about your learning which is totally different to industry. In industry you have to learn to deal with different demands, work under extreme pressure and everything you do has an impact on the company. The Shell Step programme provides undergraduates with an insight into how companies operate in the real world and provides undergraduates with invaluable market experience.”

Cyclepod, which earlier this year won the national Shell Livewire project for their innovative business were so impressed with Patrick they even offered him a permanent position within the company once he finishes his degree.

Runner-up was Chris McDonald who has been undertaking a software development project at Knowledge Dock Business Centre licensee Slider Studios. Chris who received a cheque for £200, sponsored by Knowledge Dock, will join Patrick in representing East London at the Shell Step London regional finals which will be held at Shell’s UK headquarters later this week.

The awards for Best Presentation and Best Report sponsored by Nat West Bank Plc and Redarch Associates Ltd went to Simon Knockton and Marius Milcher who both received cheques for £150. Simon undertook a placement at Comtact Ltd working on a Product Development and PR project, whilst Marius undertook a placement at Stansted Laboratories developing a laboratory information system.

The standard of this year’s programme made the judges’ task so difficult that they created an additional Special Commendation prize sponsored by Creative Networks and Knowledge Dock. The recepients of the award were Alia Khonji and Tom Bryne who undertook placements at Morgan Lovell and SG Magnets respectively.

Trevor Hurd, Engineering Manager at SG Magnets, enthused about the programme saying: “This is the second time that SG Magnets has partcipated in the Shell Step programme. The fact that we have and continue to benefit from our project last year encouraged us to particpate again this year. The programme is an excellent vehicle for companies to obtain specialist knowledge on a short-term basis to tackle those projects that you don’t necessarily have the time or expertise to tackle.”

On his company’s recruit for this year’s programme, Trevor said: “Tom has been an integral part of a project team. On the back of his and the team’s efforts we are hoping to win some significant new contracts.”. So encouraged have SG Magnets been with their experience of working with undergraduates, they have recruited three new graduates this year.

The Shell Step London regional finals are to be held at Shell’s UK headquarters in London on Wednesday 20th September. Winners from the regional finals will then battle it out for the honour of ‘Most Enterprising Student in the UK’ at the Shell Step national finals to be held in October.

Ends/.

For further information please contact Gareth Lewis, Enterprise Services Manager for Knowledge Dock, University of East London on 0208 223 2499 or email k.a.wright@uel.ac.uk

For further information on Shell Step contact Kat Ager on 0115 941 5917 or email k.ager@step.org.uk , or visit: www.shellstep.org.uk

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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