The Growth Company wins the ERSA ‘Sector Innovator of the Year’ award
- Friday, December 2, 2022
- Posted By The Growth Company
Earlier this month, we announced The Growth Company has been shortlisted for 3 Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) awards this year.
We’re extremely delighted that we received the ‘Sector Innovator of the Year’ award (Sponsored by Genius Within CIC) at Wednesday night’s ERSA Conference and Sector Dinner. The award recognises an organisation that’s pioneered innovative approaches and solutions within the employment support market.
We received the award for our ‘Tourism and Hospitality Talent Hub’ - designed to help people gain access into training and employment within the sector. Upon receiving the award, Margaret Bartnikiewicz, Recruitment Project Manager at GC said:
“Building the Tourism & Hospitality Talent Hub here at The Growth Company has been an exciting challenge to take on. Being nominated for the ERSA ‘Sector Innovator of the Year’ award for the very first time was a big success already, and then winning the award means a world to me.
“I am very passionate about the hospitality sector, having worked in it for many years. I’m proud to be able to utilise my knowledge and experience by supporting businesses and their employees with innovative approaches in various employment matters.
“I am very lucky to be able to work in partnership with Marketing Manchester and Manchester Hoteliers Association who are very supportive every step of the way – I’d like to thank them and many others from The Growth Company. Together we’ll continue to deliver our greatest support to the Tourism & Hospitality sector.”
As a result of Brexit, it was identified that the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry was going to face significant staffing and skills shortages across all positions and levels within the sector. The sector is one of the biggest employers across Greater Manchester – supporting over 100,000 jobs – so it was important to support employers during this time.
The Talent Hub was established in 2019 to help people gain access into training and employment within the sector. Supported by Marketing Manchester and Manchester Hoteliers Association, the Hub assisted employers with the recruitment and retention of staff, whilst also offering support to people looking to utilise transferrable skills and experience to move into the industry throughout the Greater Manchester area.
The first to establish a service of this kind, the Hub pulled all support mechanisms into one place as a ‘one stop shop’ for employers. Working with key stakeholders, programmes and support such as Work and Health, JETS, National Careers Service and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, it promoted the sector as an employment destination, reaching out to priority group individuals who may not have considered working within the sector before and making it more accessible. Employers from the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry supported this activity and were integral to service design, fully embracing new ways to engage with a more diverse workforce with inclusivity at the forefront.
The pandemic presented a further challenge as the industry closed down due to lockdown. In response, the Talent Hub pivoted its support offer to reflect the changed and unprecedented landscape across the sector. Through the creation of a single, simple access portal for the sector to access a whole range of support programmes - from skills development to entry level support and training – the Talent Hub made it easy for employers to access support.