A TEAM which organises work placements for more than 5,000 youngsters a year in County Durham has been highly praised in an independent report.

The work experience team at DBEE (The Education Business Partnership for County Durham) is responsible for all the placements in the county.

It gives pupils aged between 14 and 16 their first taste of work in a wide range of areas from hotels, garages and shops to solicitors' offices, hairdressers and manufacturing companies.

The report, by the County Durham Inspection and Advisory Service, confirmed that "work experience in County Durham was very successful".

Sarah McAllister, work experience coordinator for DBEE, said: "We are all delighted to have received such an excellent evaluation and it was a thorough overview of our work.

"We have a comprehensive database of Durham companies willing to provide work experience and we are involved with all the legal, health and safety and insurance aspects of placements as well."

The report showed that 78 per cent of school coordinators thought the service provided was excellent and 94 per cent of pupils provided positive feedback about all aspects of their experience.

The administration and organisation skills of the team was also praised and they were commended for supporting schools and providing coordinators and pupils with up-to-date information.