DORSET Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed Poole telecommunications company VoIP Unlimited to the portfolio of award category sponsors at the 21st Dorset Business Awards, in association with the Daily Echo and Dorset Echo.

The company has confirmed its support for Dorset’s prestigious award programme and is sponsoring a brand new category, the VoIP Unlimited Business Engagement with Education Award.

VoIP Unlimited is a Dorset-based organisation with a national presence. It invests time and values its relationships with local educational organisations. The VoIP Unlimited Business Engagement with Education Award aims to recognise a Dorset business which has established a positive partnership with a local school, university or education programme within the past three years.

Entry is free and open to all businesses, which are based in Dorset with a BH or DT postcode. The award can only entered by the business and not the school/educational organisation.

Entrants should include:

• The aim and objective of the project.

• The benefits that the business has received from the relationship with the educational organisation or programme.

• The benefits that the educational group has experienced from the partnership.

• The commencement date and duration of the relationship between the business and the educational organisation.

• How many students have received direct benefit, to include examples.

• Details of how the project might impact the industry as a whole.

• Details of challenging aspects of the project and how they were overcome.

• Whether there are future plans for the educational organisation and business to work together.

Mark Pillow, managing director of VoIP Unlimited and sponsor of the Business Engagement with Education Award, said: “This new award category is close to the heart of our company, which cares about nurturing the next generation of our workforce.

“We hope that introducing the new award, which aims to recognise the positive relationship between businesses and educational organisations, will encourage and inspire other Dorset businesses to follow suit.

“The Dorset Business Awards celebrates innovation, excellence and the determination to succeed, and we are thrilled to be on board for 2015.”

The awards are also backed Wave 105. Entrants can submit an entry via dorsetbusinessawards.co.uk or print an entry form and submit a paper-based entry. The closing date for entry is Friday September 11. Entrants do not need to be a member of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For further information about the awards, sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tickets for the gala dinner at the BIC on November 26, contact Lorraine Hubbard on 01202 714810.