STUDENT Richard Sykes has STEP-ped up to national success.

The Astley management undergraduate painted a great picture of his business knowhow during his summer vacation.

And he beat off competition from 1,500 students from all over the country to walk away with the top prize in the annual Shell Technology Enterprise Programme.

Richard, who is studying at Leeds, received the award and a cheque for £1,000 recently.

The programme places second year students with small and medium sized companies for eight weeks during the summer, where they undertake specific projects.

Richard went to specialist paint and coatings manufacturers H Marcel Guest Ltd, where his initial project concerned waste packaging regulations compliance and involved assessing the current situation within the business and preparing a company document outlining new procedures.

Richard then took the inititative to undertake a second project aiming to identify innovative ways to reduce waste and its associated costs.

His recommendations could reduce outlays by at least £12,000 a year.

Richard said: "Taking on the responsibility for my own project in a small company has been a tremendous experience.

"It's really opened my eyes to what being in business is all about, and I think the experience I've gained will give me a head start over my peers after graduation."

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