Shell-Step Success for WEA Scotland

WEA Scotland has won the Shell Step Scottish Agency of the Year award in its first year as an agency for the Shell Step scheme – and Sarah Barclay, a student in the scheme supported by the WEA, was runner-up at Scotland’s Most Enterprising Student 2006 awards.

Shell Step gives third-year university students the chance to go on a work placement at small and medium-sized businesses, giving them valuable experience of the world of work whilst at the same time giving the business the benefit of the student’s expertise in their field of study.

Sarah, a 21 year-old marketing student at Strathclyde University, spent the summer establishing and successfully managing an eBay business for Hamilton based bicycle shop Bikepod Ltd. Sarah liquidated slow moving stock and eased the company's cash flow problems by generating sales worth over £6,000 with a net profit margin of over 11%. She said: "I can't believe that I've done so well, it's an amazing feeling. I really enjoyed doing my project and have got so much experience out of it, and to pick up the runners-up title is just fantastic.”

WEA Scotland, which acted as an agency for Shell Step in Lanarkshire, was able to promote the scheme to employers that it had existing links with through its Job Rotation and Workplace Literacies educational work, including Bikepod, while the support that the WEA was able to provide to Sarah and other students was also crucial in its picking up the Agency of the Year award.

Robin Larcombe, technical advisor at Bikepod Ltd, said: "We are simply delighted, firstly with what Sarah has achieved over the summer and secondly by her reaching the next stage of the competition. The Shell Step scheme is a fantastic programme, this is the first year we have taken part and we would definitely recommend it to other local companies. Bikepod Ltd will be taking part again next year if we have a project that needs completing.”

For more details on the work of WEA Scotland please visit www.weascotland.org.uk

For more on the UK-wide Shell Step scheme, visit www.step.org.uk

“This is our first year as Shell Step agents and to win the Agency of the Year award is thrilling.”
- Kathleen Richardson, Lanarkshire Area Manager, WEA Scotland