The directors at Douglas Home & Co are delighted to announce that they have won the ‘Supporting Young Workforce’ Award at the 2019 Scottish Borders Business Excellence Awards.
The company have taken staff investment to a new level over the last couple of years by creating a career development plan and mentoring programme to ensure all employees are given clear direction to progress up the company.
This year, DH&Co continued their trainee programme for a second year by taking on three new recruits. Their new trainees will spend time working in various departments over the next 12 months, all to give them a flavour of working in the industry while gaining invaluable experience.
They welcomed Jessica Howlett, Jake Kerr and Rhys Lawrence to the team in September.
Jessica had already begun studying rural business management at SRUC but realised she enjoyed the course numeracy modules the most. After seeing the opportunity to become a trainee at DH&Co, she jumped at the chance to change her career path to something that was more suited to her interests.
Jake joined the DH&Co team straight from Berwickshire High School. He said ‘This was a fantastic opportunity to get training from a company with such a good reputation. During my application process, it became clear there is a lot of scope to grow and work your way to the top of the company in the future.’ Most of the company directors have progressed up the ranks from beginning as juniors at the firm.
Rhys joined the team from Kelso High School. He said, ‘The trainee programme seemed very exciting, I also liked that it was with a local firm as I wanted to find a good working opportunity at home, in the Scottish Borders.’
The directors believe this successful scheme is very important for the local area. There are limited opportunities across the Scottish Borders for young adults who do not wish to attend university or college. Through the trainee programme, they can gain an understanding of the industry, gain accountancy qualifications and potentially move up the company as they specialise in different departments. It is at the core of the company’s culture to help nurture internal talent.
The programme also has great benefits for the firm, by training the school leavers and giving them responsibility, they can be valuable additions to the team during the company’s busiest times of the year.
The company were also proud to sponsor the ‘High Growth/ Turnover Business of the Year’ category at this year’s awards. After starting their own business journey in the Scottish Borders and growing to have 8 offices across Scotland and North England, DH&Co are excited to support other local businesses to excel in their industry.
For further information about Douglas Home & Co, please visit their website https://www.dhco.co.uk/
