Pictured above: Stephen Smith
The staff of East Midlands Business Ltd (EMB) are celebrating
the achievement of another national quality standard with
recognition as an Investor in Excellence.
EMB delivers local access to the regional Business Link service
and other government business support contracts across the East
Midlands, including the Train to Gain Leadership and Management
programme and UK Trade & Investment.
EMB are in good company and join a "hall of fame" of
organisations who have also achieved and continue to use the
standard, such as Bombardier Transportation, Siemens, BMW,
Littlewoods Home Shopping Ltd and O2 UK.
The achievement of Investor in Excellence was awarded to EMB
after a rigorous nine-month programme which included assessments,
action plans, written reports and an in-depth site visit. The
Investors in Excellence Assessor was impressed, highlighting the
following points in his report:
• Clear vision supported by mission and values that is well
understood and supported by staff.
• Investment in developing the skills and competencies of
staff and this is clearly valued and recognised.
• Well defined quality management system and a robust
approach to internal audit throughout. These approaches clearly
drive improvement.
• Well developed measurement systems and clear links
between operational measures and the key strategic objectives they
support.
• Staff value and appreciate the working environment.
• Structured approach to defining key processes and
supporting through documentation was well understood and used by
staff.
• Clear, regular dialogue between staff and their managers
and the creation of a coaching culture is evident.
EMB Chief Executive, Stephen Smith praised staff on their
achievements. "This award reinforces the quality of the team at EMB
and the fact that we always aim for excellence and continuous
improvement. More people than ever are accessing the services
delivered by EMB and we will continue developing what we can offer
in line with what local enterprises need."
The award comes at the same time as the recent announcement from
the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, confirming
that Business Link remains the government's support service for
business. Business Link will continue to offer the same quality and
level of support to local businesses in their areas and will ensure
that the region's enterprises continue to benefit from swift local
access to high quality advice and support in the East Midlands.