Organisations that put training and workforce development at the heart of their business strategy are encouraged to enter a new award launched by The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Learning Skills Council (LSC).

The LSC Award for Skills and Workforce Development will be given to a company demonstrating excellence in its approach to training and workforce development. Judges will consider the integration of training into business strategy, the impact of training on business performance, and the overall ways in which both individuals and the organisation have benefited from the training programme.

David Frost, Director General of the BCC commented: "Continuous skills development of the workforce has been identified by government and BCC as one of the most critical issues to address for continued competitiveness. We announced only very recently that 50% more employers were having difficulty finding staff with the right skills.

"This award exists to recognise the work of the most enlightened businesses. The company that wins this award will show that skills development is not a nice-to-have; it is essential if you want to compete."

There are eight different categories of awards and companies can enter as many as they wish. The full list of categories comprises:

• LSC Award for Skill and Workforce Development
• Most Promising New Business
• Award for Innovation Through Technology
• Entrepreneur of The Year
• Business Commitment to The Community (New)
• Export Business of the Year
• Export Communicator of the Year
• Business of the Year

The Chamber Awards will be judged in two stages at both a regional and national level. Each national level finalist has the chance to win the top prize of £25,000 cash for outstanding business achievement. Entry forms and judging criteria are available at www.chamberawards.co.uk

The closing date for all entries is 27 June. The awards are open to any member company of a Chamber of Commerce.