Minister encourages business improvement
3 October 2007
Twenty-four local organisations were today presented with the prestigious Investors in People award by Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey.
Investors in People, rapidly becoming an international marque of good business practice, is a business improvement tool that helps organisations to compete and succeed through improved people performance.
Speaking at the awards ceremony at Hillsborough Castle the Minister paid tribute to those organisations receiving awards and 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.”
The Minister continued: “The Department for Employment and Learning’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 Northern Ireland economy.”
Stressing that Investors in People recognition was not the end of the journey for the Award recipients, he 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 1,500 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:
| Abacus Professional Recruitment | BELFAST |
| Affinity Dental Care | LISBURN |
| Ards Business Centre | NEWTOWNARDS |
| Belfast Waterfront Hall | BELFAST |
| Chinese Welfare Association | BELFAST |
| Confederation of Community Groups | NEWRY |
| Contact Marketing (NI) Ltd | RANDALSTOWN |
| Directorate of Legal Services | BELFAST |
| Elmbrook School | ENNISKILLEN |
| Equality Commission for Northern Ireland | BELFAST |
| Fergus Investments SuperValu Carrickfergus | CARRICK |
| Invest Northern Ireland | BELFAST |
| Moyle Enterprise Company | BALLYCASTLE |
| Regeneration of Mourne Area Ltd (ROMAL) | WARRENPOINT |
| Right Choice Training | OMAGH |
| Roe Valley Enterprise Ltd | LIMAVADY |
| St Columba's Primary School, Clady | STRABANE |
| St Eithne's Primary School | DERRY |
| St Patrick's Grammar School | DOWNPATRICK |
| Trinity Housing | BELFAST |
| Trolans SuperValu | BALLYMONEY |
| Upper Bann Institute | ARMAGH |
| Women's Resource and Development Agency | BELFAST |
| Women's Support Network | BELFAST |
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 07699715 440.