Investors in People award for SRC

Dr Stephen Farry, Minister for Employment and Learning, congratulated those receiving the business award at a celebration event held in Hillsborough Castle.

The Minister praised recipients, saying: “I am encouraged to see a group drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors reflecting a cross section of NI employers who recognise the business benefits of Investors in People. Organisations represented today range from those with 4 employees to one with over 2000 employees right across Northern Ireland.

This includes businesses from the hospitality, retail, construction, information technology, caring services, engineering, travel, art and photography areas as well as those in the public and voluntary sectors.

“Skills are widely identified as the main component in the modern knowledge-based economy and the skills of Northern Ireland’s workforce have a vital role in helping the country reach its full potential. Increasing the skills of those people already in the workforce is vital if we are to have the skills the economy needs to help it to grow. One approach to developing the skills of our workforce is through Investors in People as it specialises in transforming business performance through people.”

Investors in People has long been acknowledged as the most successful framework for business improvement through people. It helps organisations of every size, sector and location to compete and succeed through improved people performance. The approach to its delivery has recently changed, becoming more tailored to individual business needs, with no longer a requirement for a paper trail.

The framework has also been extended to provide stretch for all businesses, who can now work towards achieving the core Standard or the recently added Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

Southern Regional College is the largest Further and Higher Education College in Northern Ireland outside of Belfast. With a total of six campuses across the counties of Armagh and Down and covering four district councils, the College currently caters for approximately 35,000 students each year. It offers students qualifications which offer clear progression pathways and which are relevant for the worlds of work.