Contractors on projects for hub South West will discover who is leading the way in training and recruitment at a ceremony taking place on May 16 at the Dalziel Park Hotel in Motherwell.

The South West Skills & Training Awards will commend local companies for their commitment to inspiring the next generation of professionals within the industry, as well as those firms committed to nurturing staff already working in the sector.

The awards will be divided into two categories: Best Training Culture and Best Employment Initiative for Young People. In each category, there will be a winner for firms employing more than 25 people, and those with staffing of 25 or less.

All entries must be directly linked to a hub South West project, meaning that any entry must be directly connected to an initiative contracted by the partnership. Finalists will be expected to give a short presentation on their company’s initiative on the day to a small panel of representatives from CITB and Skills Development Scotland.

Tier-1 contractors are encouraged to nominate sub-contractors from their supply chains. The deadline for entries is March 29.

For more information and to enter these awards visit here. 

Michael McBrearty, chief executive of hub South West, said the awards mark an important new phase in the partnership’s commitment to raising the bar within the industry.

“The skills shortages we have within this sector have been widely-reported and are well-known,” he said.

“In addition to supporting the project’s commitment to engaging local communities, the small and larger firms involved with hub South West also strive to do their part in tackling wider skills issues across the industry. It is only fitting that we should applaud their efforts.”

Entries are limited to one per company. Those for the category of Best Employment Initiative for Young People will be judged on the criteria of youth employment, the introduction of construction as a viable career path, structured framework apprenticeships, graduate programmes and initiatives targeted at women, the disadvantaged and the disabled.

Best Training Culture will examine ideas and programmes that have proven successful, with a learning platform that encourages training and staff development that underpins the overall development of the business.

The hub South West partnership was established in 2012 to deliver value for money on public sector community-based infrastructure projects to generate growth in local economies across Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway. Since then, it has successfully completed projects with a total value of more than £380 million.