Member Article

Julie scoops prestigious training award

Julie Ryder, Director and Founder of award winning workplace and training consultancy company, HearFirst has won a major honour after winning the Training and Coaching Business of the Year category in the 2013 Enterprise Vision Awards (EVA’s).

Julie was one of seven finalists shortlisted for the prestigious award, which were presented at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Blackpool Hotel last Friday (October, 4).

Now in their third year, the EVA’s, which are organised in association with Pink Link Ladies Business Network, are the only business awards in the North West exclusive to women. The aim of the awards is to promote and recognise leading female entrepreneurs across the region and to inspire more females to take that leap into enterprise.

Upon collecting her award, Julie from Bacup in Lancashire, said: “I am thrilled HearFirst has been recognised as a winner of the Training and Coaching Business of the Year award. We know from our own surveys and evaluations that our customers value what we do but to be recognised outside this has boosted the whole team.

“I would also like to congratulate the other finalists but I am pleased we were able to demonstrate how we have kept pace of changing times by increasing our range of training products and offering flexibility of delivery to meet our customers’ needs.

“During the interview selection process, I highlighted our strong team of highly skilled tutors, many of whom are disabled themselves, who are able to deliver consistently good training, which is often bespoke to each client. Our broad client base also impressed the judges with our customers ranging from local volunteer organisations to the Houses of Parliament. Of course, without our customers we would have no business, so I would like to thank them for supporting us and continuing to provide us with opportunities.”

Julie became profoundly deaf in her late twenties and after working as a volunteer with the Sympathetic Hearing Scheme and then as a committee member, she set up and started her own deaf awareness training business, HearFirst in 2002 after funding was withdrawn for the project.

Now in its eleventh year, the company has worked with over 140 clients in the public, private and third sectors delivering bespoke training to 30,000 delegates in areas such as equality and diversity, disability equality & awareness, British Sign Language (BSL) and Mental Health Awareness.

The aim of the training is to ensure that clients meet their customers’ needs and comply with the Equality Act. A specialist team delivers accredited or certificated training and consultancy that’s practical, informative, thought provoking and lively.

All of the company’s tutors are fully qualified and skilled with many years experience training adults in further and higher education, schools, businesses and in the community.

For more information on equality and diversity and disability awareness training in the workplace, please contact Julie Ryder at HearFirst on 01706 872 816 or visit www.hearfirst.org.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by HearFirst .