Magnificent seven first to achieve Gold
Seven businesses and organisations are celebrating becoming the
first in the North East to join an elite band of gold
achievers.
IPS Flow Systems of Seaham in County Durham; Oakdene Primary
School in Stockton, South Tyneside Homes; Oxclose Primary School in
Spennymoor, Gentoo in Sunderland; Wyndham Primary School in
Newcastle and Linhope Pupil Referral Unit in Newcastle have all
been presented with the region's first ever Investors in People
Gold Awards.
"This is an impressive achievement for these organisations,"
said Robert Macleod, Managing Director of Investors in People North
East. "They have not only committed themselves to improving their
business performance through Investors in People but also chose to
go for gold which does involve a significant amount of extra work.
Less than 1% of all Investor in People organisations in the UK
achieve gold recognition and it means that they have achieved
world-wide best practice.
"The range of businesses involved demonstrates the success of
Investors in People's flexible approach which is designed to allow
employers of all sizes and from every sector to use the framework.
We hope more businesses will follow in their footsteps," he
added.
Ian Hunter of South Tyneside Homes said: "We have 660 members of
staff and every one of them played a part in achieving this gold
recognition. It is fantastic and we are delighted to be one of the
first in the region to receive it."
David Stidolph of IPS Flow Systems in Seaham, the UK's leading
supplier of industrial plastic piping systems, said: "We have a
very loyal workforce of 41 employees and Investors in People plays
a very important part in our drive to continually improve our
business. It has made a huge difference to our efficiency and to
our company."
Jeff Lough is Headteacher at Linhope Pupil Referral Unit in
Newcastle where an Oftsed report said that a strong, committed team
provides outstanding care, guidance and support to pupils
permanently excluded from school. Employees working in catering,
cleaning and teaching as well as members of the management
committee are all enthusiastic about Investors in People.
"We decided to go for the higher award on our third
re-assessment and are delighted to have achieved gold," said Jeff
Lough. "It was a rigorous process but well worth the effort.
Investors in People is an external validation of our efforts, it
identifies any areas for improvement, helps us retain good people
and raises our profile. It is just as valuable in the education
sector as in the business world."