The winners of the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) Employability Awards 2017, sponsored by Clarion Housing Group, were announced last night at an evening ceremony attended by the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Penny Mordaunt MP, and hosted by BBC journalist Kirsty Lang.
Catch22 received the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the Youth Employment category recognising our work with 16-24 year olds who aren’t in employment, education, or training to find a supportive place of work and their professional purpose.
The Highly Commended award reflects Catch22’s long record of public service delivery, designing and delivering services that transform lives and build stronger communities. This year, Catch22 supported 1,088 individuals across the UK into jobs and apprenticeships. Our reputation for delivery means we often work with the hardest to reach individuals with multiple barriers to employment, from family breakdown and young parenthood to lack of recent or relevant work experience.
Tony Carr, Director of Employability, Catch22 said:
“It’s an honour for Catch22 to be shortlisted for the Youth Employment Award for the second successive year. We were up against an impressive shortlist including London Youth and Leonard Cheshire Disability. Ultimately we did not win the award but received a high commendation for our work supporting young people access jobs and apprenticeships. I’d like to thank the operations team who work so hard for their clients; it’s a tough job but their dedication and determination reaps rewards for the people and community they serve. Congratulations to Access to Industry who were the deserved winner of the Youth Employment award.”
Matthew Lewendon, Operations Manager, Catch22 said:
“Last night was an amazing evening meeting colleagues from other organisations, and seeing how our industry really makes such a difference to thousands of people around the country. It really instilled a sense of pride for the work we do. I’m glad our advisors were there because it is their work that directly affects the change within our young people’s lives. It was inspiring for them to hear about other ways of working and see real life good news stories on a stage in front of them.”
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of ERSA, said:
“These awards celebrate the very best in class – the frontline advisers and partners who go above and beyond to support people into work, the businesses who give employees a chance in their workforce and the jobseekers themselves, who often overcome a range of barriers to enter work and transform their lives and those around them. This year, the entries were of a particularly high quality and our judges had an extremely difficult task picking the winners. Their work deserves to be recognised and the awards give us an opportunity to say thank you and celebrate their achievements.”
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Penny Mordaunt MP said:
“It’s truly inspiring to hear stories about the excellent work that businesses are doing to help people get into, and stay in employment. This would not be possible without the tireless efforts of frontline staff who make such a difference to people’s lives every single day. Congratulations to all this year’s winners – I hope their success will encourage others to go the extra mile in helping people to overcome any barriers to employment.”