IT COMPANY and social enterprise, The Apprentice Store, based in Inverness, has issued its Supporters Awards for the third year running. The Supporters Awards see companies all over the UK recognised for their ongoing support of the organisation and the value of that support in terms of its social impact.
The Supporters Awards are designed to demonstrate the social impact of choosing IT services from The Apprentice Store and to recognise the contribution of those businesses who continue to support the organisation in its mission to create sustainable employment for young people in IT in the Highlands.
In total, 66 businesses have been given an award, including one platinum award given to the Calman Trust. There are also two gold awards (Connecting Carers and dbs Projects), nine silver awards (Mbs365; Sequs Consulting Ltd; Cairngorm Mountain; Lochaber Chamber of Commerce; Sight Action; Cairn Consulting; Cru Holdings; 2bcreative; Calico Internet) and 12 bronze awards (Whale-like-fish; Clement RA Associates; Highlands and Islands Airport Ltd; North West Marine; Safety, Welding, Lifting International Ltd; Carlton Clubs Ltd; Communities Housing Trust; Cairngorm Brewery Co Ltd; MacDonald Groundworks; ILM Highland; Jago and Jago, fasthosts Internet Ltd).
Speaking about the Supporters Awards, David Massey, Managing Director and founder of The Apprentice Store, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be issuing the 2023 Supporters Awards. This is now a well-established programme that acknowledges the role of our clients in creating sustainable employment for young people either by selecting The Apprentice Store for their IT services or by referring The Apprentice Store to other organisations.”
The awards are presented to every business that contributes at least one week of an apprentice salary. The awards are structured as follows:
- Platinum: 100% of salary
- Gold: 75% of salary
- Silver: 50% of salary
- Bronze: 25% of salary
- 5 Stars: 10% of salary
- 4 Stars: 8% of salary
- 3 Stars: 6% of salary
- 2 Stars: two weeks of salary
- 1 Star: one week of salary
Isobel Grigor, Chief Executive of the Calman Trust and recipient of a platinum Supporters Award, said: “As a customer working this year with The Apprentice Store to create a new technology-based service for young people, it’s amazing to know that in addition this work has generated the capacity to support an apprentice in employment for the year. A fantastic win-win!”
Cairngorm Mountain is a relatively new client of The Apprentice Store and received a silver Supporters award. Speaking about The Apprentice Store, Colin Matthew, Head of Technical Operations at Cairngorm Mountain added: “Cairngorm Mountain decided to partner with The Apprentice Store to create an efficient asset management system for the funicular railway, replacing outdated paper systems. The decision was made based on The Apprentice Store’s dedication to providing employment opportunities and training for young people, as well as its expertise in meeting Cairngorm Mountain’s specific needs.
“The collaboration resulted in mutual benefits, with Cairngorm Mountain contributing to the development of apprentices while also enhancing our own operations. Cairngorm Mountain is excited to continue its IT development with The Apprentice Store and looks forward to future opportunities for partnership and growth.”
The Apprentice Store’s commitment to young people and inclusivity is widely acknowledged. The organisation was recently awarded the Inclusive Workplace Award by the Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE) and is the only IT provider in Scotland to be platinum accredited by Investors in Young People (IIYP).
