Irish healthcare company Abbott has won the Newcomer Award at the European Employee Volunteering Awards 2011, which took place in London recently.
The company was commended for its employee volunteering efforts with respect to its innovative science education programmes – Abbott Family Science and Operation Discovery, and its participation in Business in the Community Ireland’s Schools’ Business Partnership programme.
The European Employee Volunteering Awards 2011 are run in conjunction with the European Year of Volunteering 2011 and co-funded by the European Commission. Some 250 submissions from 110 companies across 22 participating countries were considered for European volunteering awards this year.
More than 180 Abbott employees have volunteered in the past 18 months through Abbott’s Family Science and Operation Discovery programmes, which are commissioned science education programmes that encourage children’s interest in science and discovery at both primary and post-primary levels.
Abbott volunteers have reached more than 1,500 students, parents and teachers at 18 schools across Ireland. For the past seven years, Abbott Ireland has participated in the Schools’ Business Partnership, which provides careers training to disadvantaged secondary schools. Abbott employees across Ireland are providing business skills training and advice to nearly 160 students.
