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 Council Armagh
Bachelors Walk Dental Surgery Lisburn
Belfast City Council – Environmental Belfast
Health Service
Belleek Group Belleek
Community Evaluation NI Belfast
Dairy Produce Packers Ltd Coleraine
Donegal Meat Processors Donegal
Down & Connor Diocesan Commission Belfast
- Family Ministry
Eventsec Ltd Belfast
Firmus energy Antrim
Greer Publications Belfast
High Street Dental Practice Holywood
Lagan Construction Ltd Belfast
Laserway Belfast
Laura Jones Dental Ballymena
Noribic Derry
NUS-USI Belfast
Omagh District Council Omagh
One Dental Derry
Police Service of Northern Ireland Portadown
- Rural OCU
Pooles SuperValu Moira Moira
Quayside Dental Care Derry
South West College - Omagh Campus Omagh
Strabane Association for Temporary Strabane
Homeless (S.A.T.H)
SuperValu Crossmaglen Crossmaglen
The Word Works Bangor
Thornhill College Londonderry
Translink - IT Services Belfast
Translink - Rail Engineering Belfast
Waterside Dental Surgery Coleraine
Whitemountain Quarries Limited Lisburn
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.
