European Employee Volunteering Awards open for entries

Companies across Europe can compete in five different categories to showcase best practice for employability skills

According to the UK Commission Report on Employability Challenge published in July 2009, without employability skills it will be more challenging for economies to achieve its productivity goals; individuals will find it harder to get and progress in rewarding work, and several important strands in global employment and skills policy may be unachievable.
  
In this context, the European Employee Volunteering Awards programme offers a great profiling opportunity for organizations in Europe aiming to reward organisations that have developed employee volunteering schemes that are helping people facing barriers to work increase their employability skills. Co-funded by the European Commission, the programme of activities will be closely aligned to the European Year of Volunteering 2011.

The Awards scheme will recognize and celebrate the best organisations in the following four categories: large company, small company, innovation and newcomer. In addition, there will be a fifth category for public authorities that foster business employee volunteering.

The project is supported by a consortium of experts, including four CSR360 GPN partners (UPJ, SMART Kolektiv, Warsaw Volunteer Centre, Foretica); CSR Europe; the Corporate Citizenship; the East England Development Agency and a group of international practitioners from KPMG and Freshfields. Alliance Boots and Tata Consultancy Services are the European-wide sponsors.

Participants

Business in the Community expects Awards entries in 22 countries across Europe in the following countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom.  

Organisations can enter through any of their European based offices and download the application form from thewebsite: www.eeva2011.org. Closing date for UK organisations to enter is 22nd October 2010.

The Awards will first be judged nationally through local partner organisations between November 2010 - January 2011. The national winners will then compete for the overall European Award with judging taking place in Brussels in February 2011. The Awards results will be announced at a ceremony in March 2011 as part of BITC's International Convention on the future role of business in a sustainable society, taking place at the Business Design Centre, in London.

ENDS

Notes to editors

For more information please contact:

Flavia Kraus
CSR360 Global Partner Network Manager, Business in the Community International Team
+44 (0)20 7566 6642 - flavia.kraus@bitc.org.uk – www.eeva2011.org