THE Essex Development and Regeneration Agency has scooped a national accolade for a work placement programme.Its Shell Step team won the Agency of the Year 2006 title at the prestigious UK Shell Step finals awards ceremony in London, making the Essex programme the most successful in the country.

THE Essex Development and Regeneration Agency has scooped a national accolade for a work placement programme.

Its Shell Step team won the Agency of the Year 2006 title at the prestigious UK Shell Step finals awards ceremony in London, making the Essex programme the most successful in the country.

The annual awards celebrate the achievements of all the students who take part in the work placement scheme, which enables undergraduates to undertake challenging projects within small to medium-sized businesses, giving them relevant and meaningful work experience.

The Essex Development and Regeneration Agency, in partnership with Business Link, manage the programme for Essex from the Basildon Enterprise Centre, and in 2006 placed 45 students in 42 Essex businesses and organisations, one of the highest numbers of placements in the UK.

Glynis Argue, who manages the Shell Step programme in Essex, said she was delighted they had won the title.

“2006 proved to be an excellent year for Shell Step in Essex, despite some initial hiccups,” she said.

“In the early weeks it looked like it would be difficult for us to achieve our targets, due to a lack of students with the required skills applying to the programme. However, with an abundance of optimism and enthusiasm, the team worked really hard with other agents within the UK, with the fantastic achievement of exceeding our student placement numbers. To win this award is really special for the whole team and testament to their hard work.”