Investing in People award for Dunluce School
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Dr Brian Haugh and Darren Parker from Dunluce School, Bushmills receive their Investor in People accreditation from the Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey.
Dunluce School in Bushmills has been awarded the prestigious Investors in People accreditation by Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey.
The school was one of 37 local business organisations from across the province to receive the award.
Investors in People (IiP) has long been acknowledged as an important international marque of good business practice.
It is a business improvement tool that helps organisations of every size, type and location to compete and succeed through improved people performance.
It is this improved people performance that Headmaster of Dunluce School, Dr Brian Haugh, says the award represents for the school community.
"I am delighted to accept this important award for the school as it represents our continued commitment to school improvement. The school's success on this occasion is the result of the hard work of the whole staff, both teaching and non-teaching," said Dr Haugh.
“I would especially like to congratulate Mr Parker and the School Awards team on the professional manner in which they have carried out this whole process and I am delighted that once again the school has been recognised for reaching such high standards."
Speaking at the presentation ceremony last Wednesday (November 5) at Hillsborough Castle, Sir Reg paid tribute to the organisations receiving awards.
He 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.
“The importance of local businesses investing in their people is particularly relevant at this difficult time for industry, not only in Northern Ireland but on a worldwide scale.
“To ensure productivity and motivation levels do not suffer in the current climate, it's important that employers actively manage change in the right way.
The Investors in People Standard provides an excellent framework to do just that - providing 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."
“Some of the UK's most senior business figures and union leaders recently urged employers not to slash staff training in a bid to cut costs in the current economic climate. I would stress to employers that it is the people we employ that will get us through. When markets are shrinking and order books falling, it is their commitment and a bility to add value that will keep us competitive."
The minister pointed out that recognition of Investors in People was only the start of the journey for award winners and should not be seen as the end of a project. He said that accreditation was only the beginning of a sustained commitment to long term business improvement through skills acquisition and employee engagement.
Over 1500 small, medium and large organisations from all sectors and sizes of business in Northern Ireland are currently working with the Investors in People Standard.
