Inverness business The Apprentice Store thanks its backers with its 2022 Supporters Awards

Inverness IT business and social enterprise, The Apprentice Store, has again thanked companies across the UK for backing its work and recognised the social impact of that support with its second Supporters Awards.

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, 92 businesses have been given an award, including one platinum award given to Black Isle-based Cairn Consulting for the second consecutive year.

Founded in 2016 and with clients across the Highlands and before, The Apprentice Store predominately recruits from and engages with employability support programmes to create the opportunity for employment to young people with socially excluded profiles.

It is the only IT provider in Scotland to be Platinum accredited by Investors in Young People (IIYP) and only the 6th organisation in Scotland to achieve this recognition.

Gold awards have gone to Alness social enterprise ILM Highland and Inverness companies Whale-like-fish and Cru Holdings).

The Apprentice Store also presented nine silver awards (dbsProjects; Communities Housing Trust; Interface; Seaboard Memorial Hall; Connecting Carers; Calman Trust; Safety, Welding, Lifting; Calico UK; North West Marine), and 10 bronze awards (Practically Green; Charity Digital Exchange (Tech Soup); Jane Goodall Institute; Carlton Clubs; Cairngorm Brewery; Virtual Learning Academy; Lochaber Chamber of Commerce; 2bcreative; Sight Action; Taste of Moray).

David Massey, managing director and founder of The Apprentice Store, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be issuing the 2022 Supporters Awards.

"In just one year, we are recognising an additional 30 organisations with an award versus 2021 and, overall, 141 organisations are included in the scheme, up from 99 in 2021. These are all businesses who have chosen to access IT services from The Apprentice Store for their organisation or have refer businesses to The Apprentice Store. By recognising them through the Supporters Awards, we are acknowledging their role in creating sustainable employment for young people.

“The response to the awards has been amazing with one client even looking to replicate the awards for their own business.”

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 per cent of salary

Gold: 75 per cent of salary

Silver: 50 per cent of salary

Bronze: 25 per cent of salary

Five Stars: 10 per cent of salary

Four Stars: eight per cent of salary

Three Stars: six per cent of salary

Two Stars: two weeks of salary

One Star: one week of salary

Ian Moore from Cairn Consulting, recipient of a platinum Supporters Award for a second time, said: “I am so glad to be able to have contributed towards supporting an apprentice. Helping the next generation along, whilst also addressing current challenges and opportunities, makes it a win-win situation.

"For as long as the services and results continue to justify our decision to work with The Apprentice Store, I will continue to recommend David and the team and consider them at every possible opportunity.”

The Apprentice Store’s growing client list is being serviced by a bigger team at the social enterprise which now employs 12 staff with plans for further growth in the next year.

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