Awarding Organisation NCFE Scoops Top Prize at Regional Awards

Companies from across the region gathered to applaud the culture that is the root of their success at a major awards ceremony in Newcastle last Thursday.

Service Network's landmark Culture for Success Awards received a record number of applications from companies eager to demonstrate the vital role employees play in their success. Entrants, from across the North East, represented an array of sectors.

After weeks of consideration by a panel of judges, the winners were announced at Service Network's Culture for Success Awards held at Northern Stage.

Overall Winners, NCFE, were considered by the panel of judges to have really gone the extra mile for their customers with a clear commitment to organisational culture.

The national awarding organisation based in Newcastle city centre have, over the past 12 months, increased their work with schools nationally from £1.2 million to £2.4 million. In the North East this means that they now work with almost 70 schools who have delivered a range of their qualifications in diverse areas from enterprise to nutrition and health.

Not only that, but they are extremely forward thinking in terms of their culture; allowing total staff empowerment and having complete trust in their people. The organisation celebrates all achievements together as a team. The company was also last month ranked 30^th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Places to Work in the Public and Charities Sectors.

The judges all felt that there was an undeniable buzz to the whole organisation, stemming from truly engaged and motivated staff that are all driven to achieve success for their business and deliver exceptional customer service. 

 David Grailey, Chief Executive of NCFE, said: "As an organisation we continually improve our internal systems and are committed to updating our products on a regular basis, to ensure that we meet the desire and needs of our customers and learners.

"Our most important ingredient in all of this is our people, who we value very highly and who have helped to make NCFE one of the top national qualifications providers in the UK. It is their commitment, innovation, and sheer hard work that makes NCFE a success

"We are extremely proud that wherever we go in the UK our customers continue to praise the exceptional level of customer service they receive."

All entrants are judged against four key criteria: staff development, customer service, business growth, and contribution to the region; and are judged in categories according to their size.

Category winners recognised on the night were Better, Eliesha Training and Ford Aerospace and Component Manufacturing.

Highly Commended by the judges were Cinnamon Property Lawyers, Shared Interest and St Oswald's Hospice.

Neil Warwick, Chair of Service Network said:

"The Culture for Success Awards are about the people who make companies work. In such difficult economic times it is those companies who recognise the impact that good employees have on customer service and profitability, that will not only survive the recession but accelerate out of it.

The companies shortlisted have demonstrated the key ingredients required for a successful culture and we should be extremely proud to have them on our doorstep."

Better, Teesside based brand communications agency and winner of the Small Business Category, has a very clear idea of the culture they are developing. They believe in creating a transparent culture, one that will work, both internally for staff but also, and just as importantly, for their customers. The judges felt that the team demonstrate real passion for their business, true integrity and are proud to wear their hearts on their sleeve. Better, who have been operating for just over two years, have already built up an enviable client base, winning contracts against much larger agencies. The company is now successfully working on new collaborative projects to ensure a sustainable business model for the future.

Eliesha Training, winner of the Medium Business Category, was praised by the judges as a "brilliant example" of an organisation successfully working together as one team with an impressively inclusive culture. This national training company, based in Gateshead, has recently secured a large contract which will see the team deliver up to 600 courses nationwide, running concurrently in 11 regions over 10 months. The company are dedicated the well-being of the North East and have strong environmental awareness and encourage car sharing across the company amongst many other initiatives.

Ford, comprising Ford Aerospace and Ford Component Manufacturing based in South Shields is a family business that has been around for more than 100 years. To keep ahead of the competition and win further business, Ford has invested £1m in the last 12 months on new machinery, software and systems which will allow them to be more efficient with regards to capacity and production planning as well as managing finances and customers in a more robust, effective manner. With ongoing training programmes and staff incentives in place, Ford believes that people are their core asset and their employees not only stay with Ford throughout their careers but encourage their families to become part of the team. Ford was the winner of this year's Large Business Category.

The Culture for Success Awards 2011 was supported by overall sponsor Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, overall winner of the Awards in 2010. General Manager of Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Martin Robinson presented the Overall Winner Award to national awarding organisation, NCFE.  He commented:

 "Last year was a great year for Hilton Newcastle Gateshead culminating in us being named overall winners at the Culture for Success Awards. It was a significant achievement for our dedicated team at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead and it was a wonderful way to recognise the hard work put in by all our staff over the past few years to create an environment that is both challenging and rewarding for all. I'd like to warmly congratulate this year's winner, NCFE and hope that they enjoy this accolade as much as we have."

Category sponsors for this year's Awards were CCS Mobile, Cintra HR & Payroll and Gateshead College.

For further information about the Awards or the winners call 0191 244 4031 or e-mail talk@service-network.co.uk