Bristol University has won a top international award for an initiative aiming to make work life at the institution more productive and enjoyable.

At a ceremony in Toronto, Canada, the university has been declared the overall winner in the 2009 Global Human Resource Development Awards from the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations Ltd (IFTDO) for its Positive Working Environment (PWE) initiative.

Bristol was selected from 22 entries from nine countries, beating a number of major corporate players.

IFTDO said of the university's PWE initiative: "The scope and scale of the project was, and is, highly challenging, especially in this sector.

"Indeed the external expert judge commented that its success is all the more impressive because of the difficult and demanding nature of this type of organisation."

Professor Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: "The University is honoured to have won this major international award.

"It's a tribute to a great deal of sustained hard work by many committed colleagues.

"We aim to foster a collegial culture at Bristol, based on a clear set of values: excellence, transparency and equity.

"Our PWE initiative aided progress towards this goal."