What did judges in the Employer and Construction categories make of this year's BIBAs entrants?

According to the most recent reliable statistics, 72.9% of ‘economically active’ residents in Lancashire are in employment. This compares favourably with the wider north west region (73.5%) and even the national picture (75.6%).

Around two-thirds are employed full time, with a third working part time.

They work in businesses of all types and sizes, of which there are between 55,000 and 60,000 across the entire county.

Every year, the BIBAs seeks out the best of these employers, the ones that create and maintain the jobs that so many local people depend on.

This year’s judges were faced with the difficult task of deciding who should win the coveted Employer of the Year award from among a group of applicants that all displayed the values and behaviours we look for in this category.

These include a commitment to training and development, the provision of meaningful and rewarding work, a supportive culture that promotes personal growth, fairness, strong leadership and a business plan that provides for stable and secure employment.

Business Health Matters are sponsoring the Employer of the Year category, and CEO Adrian Leather, said: “We were looking for businesses that are respected by their peers, that inform, recognise and empower their people, and that are committed to helping strike the right work-life balance - and we weren’t disappointed. The applicants bidding for glory in this category gave us all that and more, and were all very strong contenders. These are definitely employers of choice here in Lancashire and serve as exemplars that other businesses can learn from.”

The eight Employer of the Year finalists are:

QA Scheme Support Services

Service Care Solutions

CLIFTON HOMECARE

Melling Performance Springs

The Boathouse Youth

Senator International Limited

Buzz Education

Spencer Clarke Group

One sector of the Lancashire economy that comprises a significant number of employers, which together provide more than 37,000 jobs, or 5.8% of the county’s total workforce, is construction.

Look anywhere in Lancashire right now and you’ll see plenty of evidence of the many building and civil engineering projects that are taking place, from the construction of the newly opened Edith Rigby Way, the Animate leisure complex in central Preston, to the logistics parks off the M65.

Because it’s such an important contributor to the local economy, construction has its very own award category in the BIBAs, which is being sponsored by accountancy and audit practice MHA Moore & Smalley again this year.

Danny Houghton from Moore & Smalley, said it was hard to pick a winner: “The construction industry is really varied. At one end of the spectrum, you have these gigantic enterprises, and then at the other end all these very small businesses, often consisting of just one tradesperson. And it’s not just about the size, there’s a vast array of different specialisms. We’ve seen this mirrored in the applicants for Construction Business of the Year in the BIBAs, and it makes it a really difficult category to judge. Any one of the eight finalists could win, they are all doing great things in their space, literally building the fabric of Lancashire.”

Businesses hoping to scoop an award in the Construction Business of the Year category are:

PININGTON

Serconnect

STORTEC Engineering

DEPHER CIC

HPA Architects

Mahoney Contracts

Barnfield Construction

Wareing Buildings

They’ll all need to wait until the ceremony in September before they can find out if they’ve won. Tickets for the event are on sale now from the competition organisers at the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce.