ERSA Awards 2024: Finalists revealed

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) is thrilled to announce the finalists in its 2024 Employability Awards. Now in their 12^th year, the awards recognise outstanding achievements and innovation across the employability sector. 

With 15 fiercely contested categories, the ERSA Awards spotlight the diverse and holistic support given to employers, communities, and disadvantaged learners and jobseekers across the UK. Sponsored this year by Whitehead-Ross Education, the ERSA Awards are the most well established and best respected accolades for the thousands of individuals and organisations Working for Better Work.

“Year after year, the ERSA Awards celebrate the incredible achievements across our sector and with additional categories added for 2024, this year promises to be the biggest and best yet,” says ERSA CEO, Elizabeth Taylor.

“After a busy and challenging year, and following discussion and debate at the conference, this is our chance to celebrate together and applaud the remarkable work undertaken in support of others. Everyone is deserving of recognition and our judges have had the difficult task of identifying the real shining stars. I’d like to thank everyone who entered, and thoroughly congratulate those shortlisted.”

Judging an impressive number of nominations, the panel has chosen the following finalists, with winners to be announced following ERSA’s Annual Conference in London on 4 December.  

Frontline Advisor – sponsored by Serco

• Ellie Powell, Papworth Trust
• Louise Pelly, Enable Works
• Robert Gibson, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Carrie Abraham, The Growth Company
• Paige Tilbrook, The Forward Trust
• Lisa Jackson, Shaw Trust
• Reena Bappoo, Get Set UK
• Katie Enstone,  Career Connect
• Yuliia Khotieieva, Maximus
• David Matthew, PeoplePlus
• Genevieve Bailey, Seetec
• Russell Brummell, Southwark Works (St Giles Trust)

Frontline Manager  – sponsored by Catch-22

• Tanina Sheath, The Growth Company
• John Bowering, Acorn Training
• Louise Dempster, Better Jobs, Better Futures – Gower College Swansea
• Andrea Wilks, Mental Health Matters
• Simone Langley, Ingeus
• Claire Meredith, Seetec

Employer Engagement Practitioner – sponsored by Coyne Recruitment   

• Shane Forster, The Education People
• Vikas, Get Set UK
• Bev Davies, ELITE Supported Employment
• Jenny Smith, Reed in Partnership
• Darren Melford, PeoplePlus
• Michael Donaghy, Unity Works

Outstanding Participant – sponsored by PeoplePlus

• Positive Steps nominee, Hemam Solomon
• Successful Mums Career Academy nominee, Alkarim Haji (posthumous award)
• Clarion Futures nominee, Maisie Barrette
• Ingeus nominee, Kateryana Rybchenko
• Waythrough nominee, Lee Chrisp
• Breaking Barriers nominee, Manoel

Employer Partnership – sponsored by 4front Partners

• One Parent Families Scotland, nominated by Public Health Scotland
• OCS, nominated by Reed in Partnership
• AAA Caring Caretaker, nominated by Waythrough
• The Unlocking Refugee Talent initiative (Breaking Barriers, Barclays, LinkedIn and Microsoft)
• Tesco, nominated by Maximus
• Sefton@Work, ‘Employer Partner Agreement’, nominated by G4S

Community Outreach – sponsored by entitledto 

• Working Well: Support to Succeed (WW:STS), nominated by The Growth Company
• Employability Durham, Durham County Council
• ENABLE, East London Business Alliance
• Refugee Employability Programme, Get Set UK
• The Bridge Project, Belina Grow
• Housing Employment Network North East (HENNE)

Tailored Employment Support – sponsored by ICONI

• The Bespoke Employer Led Programmes, Middlesbrough College Group
• Care Leavers into Careers, Catch-22
• Refugee Employability Programme Team, Triage
• United for Ukraine, The Growth Company
• RNIB-Pre-Employment (Partnerships with Professionals) Team
• Novus

Health Solutions for Work – sponsored by Maximus  

• The Nest, West Lancashire Borough Council
• Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care, nominated by The Growth Company
• IPS Dundee, nominated by Enable Works
• The Better Health Generation
• InWorkGM Partnership, nominated by Ingeus UK
• Central England Health and Wellbeing Team, nominated by Seetec

Driving Compliance, Quality and Performance – sponsored by   

• Cameron Jones, Growth Company
• Ingeus in collaboration with Cowry Consultants
• Samir Ahmed, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Routes to Change Team, Routes to Work

Partnership and Collaboration – sponsored by Clarion Futures 

• Routes to Work and NHS Lanarkshire
• Enable Works – All in Glasgow
• Mental Health Matters and NHS Oxfordshire Talking Therapies
• Career Connect and Hugh Baird College
• Shaw Trust and Transport for London
• Maximus and Pure Insights

Adding Social Value – sponsored by Fedcap

• Offploy CIC
• Broadgate Connect nominated by East London Business Alliance
• PeoplePlus
• Wakefield Council STEP UP Programme
• Maximus UK, Local Impact Fund
• Jobs-22, Community Investment Fund

Digital Solution – sponsored by GeniusWithin  

• imployable
• DOST Digital Innovations Center
• Naturally Talented Me
• Earlybird AI
• Cosmic nominated by Seetec

Youth Employment – sponsored by    

• Resurgo
• The Social Switch Partner, nominated by Catch22
• Clarion Futures
• Routeways to Work, nominated by Papworth Trust
• EY Foundation
• Careers Worcestershire, nominated by Worcestershire County Council

Progression in Work – sponsored by Seetec

• Better Jobs, Better Futures
• AutonoMe
• Harvey Kynoch, Get Set UK
• Career Coaching, Ingeus

Skills for Work – sponsored by Education Development Trust  

• Adult Community Learning, Whithead Ross Education
• Adult Skills Team, The Forward Trust
• Energise, Catch-22
• The Housing Employment Network North East (HENNE)
• Westminster Works, Step Ahead Social Enterprise CIC

ERSA’s Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Contribution to the Sector individuals will be announced at the ERSA Awards.