Lord Ashcroft International Business School (LAIBS) celebrated another major achievement on 3 April when, in partnership with Barclays plc, they were announced the winners of one the prestigious National Target Jobs 2013 People Awards.

Barclays and Anglia Ruskin University have, in partnership, successfully designed, developed and managed the Retail Development Programme (RDP), which has at its heart the BA (Hons) Management & Leadership. The programme specifically targets new talent to the business with the aim of the trainees achieving the position of Branch Manager or equivalent within 3 years of joining the programme.

Now that the programme has seen 3 cohorts successfully graduate and is nearing the completion of its recruitment for the sixth consecutive cohort of 40 students, the management information data was available to tell a significant "valued added" success story and also highlight significant achievements in relation to diversity, retention, academic success and simultaneous career progression.

The Best School Leaver Programme is a new category for 2013 and winning is a particularly notable achievement, as this award was determined by a panel of apprentices and undergraduates facilitated by a team of mentors drawn from industry and agencies. The shortlisted competition for the award was extremely strong, namely; Accenture, Aviva, Bank of England, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, CGI, Siemens and Rolls-Royce.

Vanessa Knowles and Rachael Hall were delighted with the award and the national recognition that it represents. They once again attributed the success to everyone who had been involved with the programme from the idea inception through to the on-going management and delivery of what has become one of the Business School's flagship programmes.