Each year, Helm runs an Employer Awards Reception to thank our employer partners for the amazing support they provide in helping our young people move into employment. We present four Award categories recognising businesses who have gone above and beyond for us during the previous 12 months and celebrate all of the amazing work they do. Without them, we couldn’t provide young people with the opportunity to gain vital work experience to help them make decisions about their future employment opportunities.
On Wednesday 29th November, Helm held the 2023 awards at The Quay in Dundee, which was sponsored by 1st Safety Solutions. This year the event was not only attended by existing employer partners, but also some who are keen to work with Helm moving forward. It is always a pleasure to showcase our work, but the highlight of the night was recognising the four award winners who have shown they are truly dedicated to supporting the young people we work with in a variety of ways.
Chris Scott, Director of 1st Safety Solutions says, “Firstly a huge congratulations to the winners of the Helm Employer Awards, as I said on the evening, I felt all the employers were winners by supporting our young people. Well done to you all and keep up the amazing work! It was fantastic to meet so many of you on the night. Congratulations to Helm also for hosting a fabulous event and thank you for choosing 1st Safety Solutions to sponsor the event, it was a fantastic evening, and we were very privileged to join you all for the event.”
Best Newcomer Award
The first award of the evening was presented to an organisation who recently started working with Helm and has shown a real commitment to supporting our young people and working together collaboratively to support individual needs. The winner was Apache Developments who have now been working alongside Helm for 3 months. We recognised that Apache Developments has been excellent with their communication, openness, honesty, and professionalism, and their dedicated support has ensured their first placement young person has been able to successfully thrive.
Outstanding Commitment Award
The second award of the evening was an award to recognise an organisation that has provided an outstanding commitment to supporting and nurturing young people while on placement and beyond. The award was presented to Salon Fierce, a local beauty salon. At the ceremony we recognised they had been excellent in supporting a young person on work placement, who really lacked confidence when first coming to Helm, to go from strength to strength. We highlighted the young person is now in employment with Salon Fierce and has been provided with a wide range of products and supported to build their own clientele.
Individual Contribution Award
The third award of the evening was an award dedicated to recognising an individual rather than an organisation. The award recognised an individual who Helm has identified as personally going above and beyond for young people attending Helm. This year, the winner was Faith Elder from Faith Elder Beauty Academy. At the ceremony, we recognised that Faith had worked with approximately 20 young people in the last year, supporting each one on a personal level and tailored to their skill set and confidence levels. Faith had shown an outstanding commitment to providing access to industry recognised qualifications at no cost to the young person.
Going the Extra Mile Award
The final award of the evening was to recognise an organisation who had gone the extra mile to support young people at Helm in a variety of ways. The winner was announced as Robertson Tayside. At the ceremony we recognised that the construction element of Robertson had spent time creating and implementing a training programme for Helm’s young people working at one of our learning centres and the East End Community Campus construction site. We also highlighted that young people can access work placements and potential employment through sub-contractors following on from the programme.
Ally Calder, CEO, says: “I am privileged to have been able to host our second Employer Awards Reception which was such a successful evening celebrating the significant support local businesses provide to Helm. We are beyond grateful to have relationships with so many local organisations as we truly see the difference these opportunities make to the young people we support. We are always welcoming of new businesses partnering with us to support the next generation in our community. If you would like to find out more please get in touch by emailing hello@helmtraining.co.uk.”