26 August 2010

From income support to a masters degree...Clair credits her employers and Investors in People

A Shildon woman who began her twenties on income support as a single parent with four GCSEs is about to embark on a Masters degree just seven years later.

Clair Ord credits her employer’s approach to staff training with the turn-around in her educational fortunes. A Customer Involvement Manager at Dale & Valley Homes in Bishop Auckland, Clair, 27, has already achieved her Level 5 Diploma in Management, will take Level 7 later this year and aims to begin a Masters degree in Management in 2011.

“I made a decision when I was 21 to set an example for my daughter and get some good qualifications. Dale & Valley Homes has supported me every step of the way,” Clair explained.

The organisation, which manages public housing on behalf of Durham County Council, works with Investors in People North East to refine its staff development policies and procedures, enabling staff to work towards external qualifications and promotion.

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05 August 2010

Double Hat-Trick of Awards at ContiTech Beattie

Investors in People Champion ContiTech Beattie, the Ashington and Aberdeen based market leader in hose technology for the oil and gas industry is enjoying a sustained string of accolades, reflecting major growth within the business.

The company’s recent People Effectiveness award at the institution of Mechanical Engineer’s Manufacturing excellence awards marks a remarkable double hat-trick of national awards, with success in three consecutive years at the MX Awards combined with three national awards in 2010.

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28 July 2010

Investors in People is still going strong!

In a recent press article about government cuts, IIP UK was included in a list of abolished ‘quangos’. In fact, ownership of Investors in People was transferred to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in April this year in a move that has strengthened the position of Investors in People and ensured its continued development and support.

What does that mean for Investors in People?

On the 1st of April 2010, strategic ownership of Investors in People was transferred to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The UK Commission is continuing to develop Investors in People’s reach and impact amongst employers of all types and sizes. This move has strengthened Investors in People’s position, placing it at the heart of the UK Commission’s mission to maximise UK economic competitiveness and individual opportunity. The UK Commission has become the guardian and champion of the Investors in People brand and range of products and services.

What does this mean for me/my organisation?

This does not change the way customers work with Investors in People. If you are not yet a customer but want to find out more, please contact us.

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15 July 2010

What coaching is and what it isn't

An appreciation of the similarities and differences between coaching and other people development approaches is useful when it comes to positioning coaching in your team and in your organisation. You may well find that if your team is unclear about what coaching involves and have confused it with other things, then they may not engage as fully as you'd wish.

This article seeks to refine our understanding of coaching in absolute terms.

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15 July 2010

Robert Macleod discusses the importance of change

When you read this, I hope you’ve had chance to enjoy some of the fine weather we’ve had of late. At last we’ve had a summer and our thoughts are distracted away from the news headlines on the changes our new Government is making to try and manage our national debt. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to have had some time away from the office visiting customers and to hear about some of the successes they are having using Investors in People. This was a great tonic for me and makes me feel very proud of the work we do, and the difference it makes to people’s businesses and their lives. One gentleman described how his review had been a pleasure and gave the feedback he wanted to help move his business forward through the tough times he was facing.

Inevitably, it is tough times that we will all face in the coming months, possibly the next year as we adjust to our customers’ needs, and no more so than here at Assessment North East. Over the last month and in the next few, we are conducting a range of activities to ask you for your views on certain aspects of our service. If you have participated already, thank you, as your feedback helps us to ensure that we are providing you with something that is of benefit. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet then there will be more opportunities coming up. Thank you in advance as it really helps us to develop.

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14 July 2010

"That equality stuff"

HR Doctor Steve Cave highlights the importance of having an Equality Policy in your organisation and provides details on the Equality Act that will come into place in October 2010.

I was driving to work last week when my phone rang. It is always tempting to answer it, but I resisted the temptation! The same cannot be said of a woman at the next roundabout who was driving and chatting away on the phone and even found time to mouth obscenities at me.

The message on my phone was from a friend of mine who runs a small engineering business. He remains a friend despite him not sharing my passion for equality and diversity, and after several arguments when he has attempted to make a racist statement by stating the he is ‘not a racist but’ before making the statement. Interesting that men do not say that before making a sexist statement, but this is the North East!

His message was to ring him as he needs my help with "that equality stuff". I was tempted to ignore him but was intrigued and I guess secretly hoping that he had got into trouble and now needed my help to get him out of trouble. The last time we had discussed equality was when his wife had objected vehemently to being referred to as "wor lass" and he could not understand why and suggested that it was somehow my fault.

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