A TAVISTOCK student has won the prestigious Year in Industry Award, beating off competition from 700 other gap year students.
Former Tavistock College pupil Kelvin Shillabeer spent his year in industry working in Plymouth at Japanese motor and hydraulics manufacturer, Kawasaki Precision Machinery, designing a new stock control system.
Nineteen-year-old Kelvin won the Institute of Leadership and Management Year in Industry Award at Pershore College Business School, Worcester.
During his gap year in industry with Kawasaki, Kelvin researched and analysed the procedures of the existing stock control system and identified technical solutions that it is believed will save the firm more than £40,000 per year, boosting its £25-million annual turnover.
The ?Barcode Solutions? project, which Kelvin developed, has reduced time-consuming procedures and increased motivation and productivity.
Kelvin said: ?I am confident that this ILM award and the skills I have developed during my year in industry will serve me well at university and will give me an edge when I enter the competitive graduate job market.?
Kelvin is now reading management science at Loughborough University, and should be able to put the experience gained during his industrial placement to good use during the four-year course.
The awards, now in their fourth year, mark the achievements of individuals throughout the country who have excelled in the Certificate of Management, one of the suite of qualifications offered by ILM for leaders and managers. Kelvin?s prize consists of a framed certificate and a £400 cheque.
Gary Ince, chief executive of ILM, said: ?Employers now look for work experience as well as relevant portable qualifications to demonstrate a student?s ability.?
After completing his A-levels at Tavistock College Sixth Form last year, Kelvin gained one of a handful of places with the prestigious Year in Industry Scheme. Earlier this year, Kelvin was chosen as the winner of the Devon and Cornwall year in industry competition.