Minister highlights the standard for business improvement

9 April 2008

Thirty one local organisations were today presented with the prestigious Investors in People award by Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, MLA.

Investors in People, an international marque of good business practice, is a business improvement tool that helps organisations to compete and succeed through improved people performance.  

Paying tribute to those organisations receiving awards at a ceremony in Hillsborough Castle the Minister said: “The uptake of Investors in People in Northern Ireland is an encouraging sign for the local economy and should serve as an example to other employers not yet capitalising on the bottom line business benefits of the Standard.

“Investors in People provides employers with a practical, user-friendly business improvement framework that ensures people know why they are in business and have the skills necessary to make a difference in business performance.”

Sir Reg continued:  “My Department’s ‘Success Through Skills’ strategy identifies the need to not only understand the demand for skills, but to improve the skills levels of the workforce.  Investors in People is a means by which local employers can help tackle this area and ensure bottom line business results for themselves and the NI economy.  It is encouraging to see so many companies and organisations here today playing their part in developing the skills of the Northern Ireland workforce.”

Stressing that Investors in People recognition was not the end of the journey for the Award recipients, the Minister added:  “Recognition as an Investor in People should not be seen as the end of a project, but rather the beginning of a sustained commitment to long-term business improvement through skills acquisition and employee engagement in business.”

Over 1,600 small, medium and large organisations from all sectors of business in Northern Ireland are currently working with the Investors in People Standard.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. Investors in People is a business improvement tool that helps organisations to compete and succeed through improved people performance.  The framework is designed to help organisations develop the knowledge and skills of their people so that what they can do is what the business needs them to do.  A new version of the Standard, designed to meet the changing needs of business and industry, was launched on 17 November 2004 and came into effect in January 2005.
  2. The organisations receiving Awards as Investors in People during this special ceremony were:  
    Armagh City & District CouncilARMAGH
    Bachelors Walk Dental SurgeryLISBURN
    Belfast City Council – EnvironmentalBELFASTHealth Service
    Belleek GroupBELLEEK
    Community Evaluation NIBELFAST
    Dairy Produce Packers LtdCOLERAINE
    Donegal Meat ProcessorsDONEGAL
    Down & Connor Diocesan Commission BELFAST
    - Family Ministry
    Eventsec LtdBELFAST
    Firmus energyANTRIM
    Greer PublicationsBELFAST
    High Street Dental PracticeHOLYWOOD
    Lagan Construction LtdBELFAST
    LaserwayBELFAST
    Laura Jones DentalBALLYMENA
    NoribicDERRY
    NUS-USIBELFAST
    Omagh District CouncilOMAGH
    One DentalDERRY
    Police Service of Northern IrelandPORTADOWN
    - Rural OCU
    Pooles SuperValu MoiraMOIRA
    Quayside Dental CareDERRY
    South West College - Omagh CampusOMAGH
    Strabane Association for Temporary STRABANE
    Homeless (S.A.T.H)
    SuperValu CrossmaglenCROSSMAGLEN
    The Word WorksBANGOR
    Thornhill CollegeLONDONDERRY
    Translink - IT ServicesBELFAST
    Translink - Rail EngineeringBELFAST
    Waterside Dental SurgeryCOLERAINE
    Whitemountain Quarries LimitedLISBURN
  3. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning’s Press Office on 028 9025 7872.  
  4. Out of office hours, please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager, number 07699715440.