Fremantle Trust have won Best Employer Support for Apprenticeships at the Skills for Care Accolades 2014/15. These awards celebrate the very best examples of innovative workforce development in the care sector. Skills for Care received over 17,000 applications across eight different categories, so to win an award is something truly special.

The Fremantle Trust set up a successful Apprenticeship programme targeted at bringing young people into work in their 40 residential care settings. Fremantle’s intention is that this programme is part of building their future workforce. They also readily admit that managers’ attitudes, initially reluctant to take on young people, have turned around with a realisation that they have brought in fresh ideas.

H.D. Services Ltd of Ashley Green won the RHI Installer of the Year award for the South East region at the Green Deal and ECO Awards on Thursday 5 March. They then went on to achieve second place in the RHI Installer of the Year Award in both the Greater London and East of England regions.

Rebecca Taylor, GSHP Business Development Co-Ordinator at H.D. Services Ltd said: “This is a very big moment for our small company. We are extremely proud of all of our achievements and a big thank you has to go to our employees for all their hard work.”

Origin, the High Wycombe-based manufacturer of aluminium bi-fold doors, windows and blinds, have won the Business Efficiency Category at the EEF/Aldermore Future Manufacturing Awards. The award celebrates the achievements of manufacturers that successfully designed and delivered operating practices to boost productivity and business performance.

Bucks New University (BNU) is hosting two events in April where students will present Business Growth Plans to an Evaluation Panel of business experts. The plans are developed for raising awareness, raising finance and demonstration of business ideas, and BNU is hoping for businesses to join the Panel. The students are studying level 6 Enterprise Module and many will be thinking of starting a new business. A few are running an embryonic business and wish to expand. The events will take on 20th and 27th April from 1-2pm to 4-5pm depending on availability and preference of panel members. To find out more and to get involved, email Dr Suresh Patel at Sureshbhai.Patel@bucks.ac.uk.

Buckinghamshire Business First is running a series of member to member workshops. Details of the next in the series are as follows:

• Wednesday 15 April, Saunderton. ‘Are you prepared to stand back, take a look at your business and consider which areas are ready for improvement? If you are keen to be challenged about business improvement – this workshop is for you!’
• Wednesday 20 May, Saunderton. ‘We have all been to meetings that are not a good use of our time - poorly organised, over powered by one individual, or where people switch off and count down until they can leave! This workshop will look at highly effective strategies and skills for optimising meeting time and getting the best from any meeting.’

If you have any news (it doesn’t have to be an award win) you would like to share with the rest of the Buckinghamshire business community, please send details to bbfnews@bbf.uk.com.