A SOUTH Lakeland student has proved she is a step ahead of her Cumbrian counterparts when it comes to working with local businesses.

Lucy Porter was one of some 40 under-graduates who spent up to eight weeks on work placements with firms across the county under the DTI-backed STEP programme.

She took part in a competition to find this year's top-performing STEP student in the county and scooped the top award, receiving £100 and a bottle of champagne.

She wrote a 1,500-word report about her placement and made a presentation at the STEP county final, judged by Brian Lightowler, chief executive of Business Link; Susan Kavaney, business and corporate services manager for Ken Hope Training Services; and David Jackson, commercial director for the Lanes Shopping Centre, Carlisle Lucy, now entering her third year at Manchester Metropolitan University, went on to the regional STEP final, where she narrowly missed out on the top award.

The 3-D design student from New Hutton spent eight weeks at Jo Vincent Glass Design, based at nearby Old Hutton, helping to design a large-scale chandelier template incorporating LED (light emitting diodes) lighting.

Lucy said she gained a number of new skills through her placement. "Working within a small business gave me an insight into how business works in the real world. I'm studying in Manchester and hadn't realised how much valuable experience could be gained in a small local business back in Cumbria. I was able to put some of the new skills I'd learned on my degree course into practice."

Jo Vincent, who runs the flourishing glass design business, said Lucy's efforts had been highly beneficial to the business.

"I had some large-scale lighting ideas which I had been developing for a while on paper clients had asked for this and I knew there was a demand for it. I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to get a student in to help me with the project," Jo told Business Gazette.

With Jo busy working on commission work over the summer, she was able to bring in Lucy to work on the chandelier and finish it in time to show off at 100percent Design, a major international design show in London.

Jo said that without Lucy's help, the chandelier would not have been ready for unveiling as a new product line at last month's prestigious show, where visitors include architects and interior designers on the look-out for new ideas.

"Lucy came down with me to the show and helped on the stand. She had full knowledge of the product, having worked her way through it with me, which was great. She was very independent and very confident and professional in her approach. Being a design student, we were on a similar level," said Jo.

She said she had made some really good contacts at the show and the chandeliers had attracted a lot of inquiries, which she hoped would lead to new orders in the future.

The business worked with Kendal-based LED firm NJO Technologies on the chandeliers, which feature more than 100 individual glass pieces and more than 300 LED bulbs, capable of changing colours. Jo said the results were eye-catching and could well prove popular in bars and restaurants.