Celebrating Success with Invest in Renfrewshire
Some of our area’s top workers and best businesses were honoured last week at the Invest in Renfrewshire Celebrating Success Awards.
The event saw around 200 people from the local business community gather to hear some of the success stories connected to the programme so far.
The winners were:
- Top Intern – Sean Skelly, Solas LED
- Best Trainee – (Employability Fund) – Megan McAdam, Barnardos Works
- Progression in Work – Euan Keltie, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce
- Renfrewshire Modern Apprentice of the Year – Fraser Murray, Scottish Leather Group
- Most Promising New Employee – Darren Morgan, Johnstone Health Centre
- Most Promising New Entrepreneur – Laura Morrow, Casa Bebe
Three businesses were also given Special Recognition Awards on the night for their commitment to helping local people into employment:
- Marks and Spencer Braehead
- Miller Joinery
- Optima Training
The winners were chosen by a panel of judges from the Invest team, who had to pick from almost 100 applications received when nominations opened in May.
Council Leader Mark Macmillan was there on the night and presented one of the awards – and he praised all involved for their efforts.
Councillor Macmillan said: “Tackling unemployment is a major priority for the council – which is why we have made a major financial commitment to enable Invest in Renfrewshire to help local people get ready for, find and keep work.
“In the past two years we have signed up more than 650 companies and supported the creation of more than 550 jobs.
“Along the way we have picked up a huge number of success stories and these awards were brought in so we could help shine a spotlight on some of them.
“The aim was to celebrate the employees taken on through the programme who have made themselves invaluable, or who have progressed the most – as well as the businesses who have best engaged with what we are trying to achieve.
“This is the first time we have run the awards and we were blown away by the number of nominations we received – and it was a tough decision to pick winners as the standard as so high.
“But it was a great night to be part of and may now become an annual feature – so we look forward to celebrating more success in 2015.”
Invest in Renfrewshire helps businesses grow by offering financial support – such as subsidies to help firms take on unemployed young people and business growth grants. At the same time, it supports individuals into work by linking them up to vacancies, and helping them to access training and work experience.
For more information about the programme, call 0300 300 1180 or visit the Invest in Renfrewshire website.