Wolseley UK has been presented with the prestigious New Employer of the Year award by the National Mentoring Consortium, following its involvement in the organisation’s Ethnic Minority Undergraduate Scheme (EMUS).

The award recognises Wolseley UK’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest standard of career development through the EMUS progamme.

The National Mentoring Consortium works with more than 300 employers and 15 universities in the UK to promote equality and diversity in graduate recruitment and enhance the employability of black, Asian and ethnic minority students, particularly those with a disability or dyslexia.

Its EMUS mentoring programme provides essential support and experience to students seeking managerial and professional careers. This year, Wolseley UK got involved with the scheme for the first time and placed four managers into one-to-one mentoring partnerships with four students from universities including the University of East London and Brunel University.

The six-month scheme includes an induction and training event, monthly mentoring meetings and ongoing feedback from the mentors to the students, in a bid to help them develop their skillset and understanding of working in a dynamic professional environment.

Robin Elias, managing rditor of ITN, presented Wolseley UK’s development manager Mairead Golding with the award in a ceremony at the Crown Prosecution Service in London.

Ms Golding explained: “Partnering with the National Mentoring Consortium has been a great opportunity for Wolseley UK to support a number of promising young students from a range of backgrounds. We are honoured to receive the New Employer of the Year award from the National Mentoring Consortium, which does hugely important work in helping to diversify and enrich the UK’s workforce.

“We have seen all four of the undergraduates we have mentored benefit from our team’s knowledge and experience, and it has been extremely rewarding to share our expertise and build relationships with the next generation of young professionals – we wish them the greatest success in the future.”

Joe Greenland, director of the National Mentoring Consortium, commented: “The EMUS initiative is a people’s programme, and Wolseley UK embraced the scheme wholeheartedly. Wolseley UK received this accolade as a direct result of the reports that came back from the students involved, which all highlighted the fact that their mentor was so committed to the programme, going above and beyond their basic role to establish relationships, which added real value for the students.”

The award follows Wolseley UK’s nomination in the category of Best Learning and Development at the 2013 HR Excellence Awards.