Borders College officially named one of 2021 UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women!

Wining not one but two national awards for being a Great Place to Work™ has got the staff @BordersCollege celebrating once again! In May, the College became a ‘Great Place to Work-Certified’ organisation. And today, the announcement has been made that the College has also been listed as a ‘Best Workplace for Women™’.

Being a significant organisation in the Borders, the College has 293 employees, and an impressive 68% are women. Our Executive Team of four, which includes our Principal, is entirely staffed by women. The figures for the Senior Leadership and Wider Leadership Teams are equally impressive, with over 60% of the staff being female.

Borders College is in great company when it comes to the award as well-known brands such as Hilton, Adobe, Admiral, and GAP are among those who have been awarded the ‘Best Workplace for Women’ accolade.

Debbie Kerr, Head of HR and Development at Borders College, commented:

“It’s fabulous that the College has been awarded this prestigious accolade. Our inclusive College culture and our values and behaviours help to support women to achieve success, both in their professional careers and in their life/work balance. 

“And, I am proud to be a women leader in Borders College and to be able to celebrate the successes that we are achieving.”

College Principal and Chief Executive Angela Cox went on to say:

“Our Workforce Strategy links directly to our new Strategic Plan and seeks to create a highly talented, diverse and motivated workforce who are empowered and engaged through working in a developmental, collaborative, forward-thinking and dynamic working environment.

“This most recent honour further highlights that Borders College is truly a forward-thinking organisation, where creating the right talent pool to meet our business needs is not only a priority but is also the norm.”

As an employer, the College is aware of the need to address the gender imbalance and understands the clear requirement to provide women in rural communities, such as the Borders, with access to high quality and meaningful careers and employment. The COVID pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women’s jobs and incomes. The College is incredibly proud of the stability and quality of jobs available to them at Borders College.

Offering equal pay and benefits for comparable roles and the same opportunities for all genders ensures that our staff will never face any discrimination because they are male or female, or are undergoing gender reassignment.

The two awards made by the national organisation Great Places to Work™ are awarded after validated employee feedback gathered with Great Place to Work’s™ rigorous, data-driven methodology. 75% of Borders College staff confirmed that they have a consistently positive work experience, which is 10% higher than the threshold to be awarded the Great Place to Work certificate.

Our position on this prestigious list is driven by our annual employee engagement survey, which measured the extent to which women across the organisation reported a consistently great workplace experience, considering factors such as their daily encounters of innovation, inclusivity, company values, and the effectiveness of our leaders. As an organisation, we continue to be committed to ensuring employees are able to reach their full potential, no matter who they are or what they do.

The recognition of this award confirms that:

• Borders College is a great workplace FOR ALL, including women; 
• Our employees feel a strong sense of Trust, Fairness and Wellbeing in their workplace;
• We recognise that women represent a valuable talent pool in an increasingly talent–constrained environment;
• Borders College lives up to its values, with leaders making meaningful changes to improve their ability to recruit, retain and nurture top female employees.

As Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work™ UK, explains:

“We’re delighted to recognise so many great organisations in this fourth year of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women list. The issues affecting women in the workplace, particularly what we’ve witnessed in the face of the pandemic, including parity of pay and advancement opportunities, continue to be important topics. We are proud that thanks to this ranking and the insights afforded by our successful organisations, we can help raise awareness of the importance of fairness around pay, recognition, training and development opportunities, and work/life balance. What our 2021 UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women clearly show is the positive impact their practices have on business. As a result, they are better able to attract and retain women of talent, encouraging them to develop professionally and personally, and in turn, contribute exponentially to the success of the organisations they work for.”

The list of employers deemed to be a ‘Best Workplace for Women™’ will also be listed in Elle, the national fashion magazine.