STUDENTS and organisations from Worcestershire are today showing off their talents at a national exhibition for the business world.

They are taking part in The Year in Industry Company Exhibition 2001 at Birmingham University where the key speaker is Sir Neville Simms, chairman of Carillion Group plc and Business in the Community.

The Year in Industry is a national organisation which finds places for young people in industry during their gap year between A-levels and university. At the end of the year they are invited, together with the company or organisation where they worked, to show off their achievements.

The Year in Industry administrator, Lorna Loy, said that of the 87 students placed in the West Midlands over the past year, 37 came to Worcestershire and 34 of those went to the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) at Malvern and Defford.

"DERA is a huge supporter of our scheme but students have also been placed at 20 20 Speech at the Malvern Hills Science Park and Malvern Instruments at the Enigma Business Park," she said.

The project aims to match students with work and industry which relates to their degree. A quarter of students who complete their year in industry go on to gain a first class degree and 85 per cent - more than three times the national average - choose a career in industry.

"The students get practical experience in the work place, they get training from us and the company, they get paid a minimum of £150 a week and they get a break from their education. It is almost like a foundation year," said Ms Loy.

It also gives companies a chance to do some graduate recruitment, she added.

The Engineering Employers Federation is offering students on the scheme a chance to win cash prizes in a competition to find the student who makes the best contribution "to the business" during their placement, with regional and national cash prizes.

The Company Exhibition 2001 is open to the public today from 4pm to 6pm in the Great Hall at Birmingham University.