ScottishPower's community programmes and social business practices received national recognition today as six individual projects were nominated as finalists in the prestigious Business in the Community Awards for Excellence.

The six projects have been nominated in three separate categories:

Investing in Potential Award

• ScottishPower Learning - Skillseekers Programme ScottishPower in a joint venture with the trade unions has created learning opportunities for unemployed people with few formal qualifications, giving motivation, accredited training and transferable skills to work with the company or other major employers.
• ScottishPower Learning Prince's Trust Volunteers - ScottishPower is combining its strong training and learning culture with The Prince's Trust Volunteer programmes to help young unemployed people build the confidence and skills to find work or return to education.
• ScottishPower Learning - School to work - giving young people the essential skills and motivation to make the most of mainstream education, or make a successful transition into work.
• ScottishPower Learning - makes use of the company's strong training and learning culture to build essential personal and work skills and encourage life-long learning right across the community specifically targeting young people with little or no formal qualification.

Business in the Environment Award

• ScottishPower is tackling global climate change by changing its generation mix, and building a reputation as a leading supplier of green energy in the UK.

Impact on Society Award

• ScottishPower has implemented wide ranging environmental and community investment programmes, and new human resources practices to create a coherent CSR framework. A strong proponent of a sustained approach to energy consumption and renewable energy, ScottishPower believe that despite the current challenged energy market, a values-driven approach, long term investment in employees and the communities it serves, together with innovative environmental and low income products, will support a sustained recovery.

These awards are part of Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence, recognised as the leading awards in the field of corporate responsibility, to celebrate the positive economic, social and environmental impact of business on society.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will present finalists with the new BIG TICK Mark (formerly known as the Impact Endorsement Mark) at a special presentation held at Lancaster House, London today (Wednesday 19 June) with the new Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility, Stephen Timms, MP. The Mark can then be used by the finalists to communicate their Example of Best Practice.

The category winners will be announced at the Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner, to be held on Thursday 11 July in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales before an audience of 900 business leaders.

Dominic Fry, Group Director of Corporate Communications ScottishPower, said; "We are proud and delighted to receive this significant recognition of our corporate social responsibility programme, particularly as the six nominations reflect the impact we have had across the full range of our stakeholders."

Further Information:

Simon McMillan                                               0141 566 4875