Progress to Excellence Ltd remains among IiP Gold standard elite

PROGRESS to Excellence Ltd has continued to demonstrate its commitment to its staff by once again being awarded the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Gold standard.

The business – where management has been described as inspirational, supportive and motivational – is now among the top two per cent of organisations in the country to receive the award.

The standard is only given to organisations that can demonstrate excellence in developing and supporting their staff and reflects the very latest workplace trends to help every employee be the best they can. 

To obtain the gold award, Progress to Excellence Ltd had to prove how the company uses its people strategies to achieve outstanding standards and deliver excellence in teaching and learning. The rigorous assessment involved staff interviews with issues raised, including personal development, their contribution to the business and corporate social responsibility.

The company has been accredited with the Investors in People Standard since 2004, having achieved Gold at its last IiP Review in 2016 against the new version 6 Standard.

Investors in People assessor Joanne Hamilton said: “This was a great achievement given the added stretch that the new standard and assessment process now brings.

“The assessment revealed lots of areas of strengths in how the company is currently leading, managing and developing its people and is to be particularly commended given the amount of change it has had to embrace over the past three years.”

The Progress to Excellence Ltd IiP benchmark score showed it is currently outperforming its sector; the figure is also higher than the average overall IiP benchmark score of all organisations which have undertaken the assessment survey to date.

A particular area of strength was an “open culture” where there was confidence in the senior leadership team to take the business forward. The majority of managers were considered to be both “supportive and motivational” in their approach to leading and managing their teams and, in a few instances, some were also considered to be “inspirational”.

There was also a “clear commitment” to developing people’s skills and making the most of their talents for mutual benefit.

Katy Lennon, Acting Chief Executive Officer at Progress to Excellence Ltd, said: “Achieving the IiP Gold standard once again shows our commitment to putting our people first. This way, we can fulfil our mission to see all our learners reach their potential and to provide the highest levels of service for employers.

“A successful business must have the best interests of its employees at its heart and the ethos at Progress to Excellence Ltd is about encouraging staff to develop their careers and make the most of their talents.

“As a result, we are able to retain people within the business and ensure that excellent standards are constantly delivered.”