IIYP, Scotland’s only people management award focusing on employers’ recruitment and retention of young people is offered to all businesses across Scotland. The award recognises and supports organisations in the training and development of young people, and highlights Eildon as an employer of choice for young people.

Commenting on the award, Nile Istephan, chief executive of Eildon said, “This is great recognition of the work we have done over the last few years. We took stock of our position and recognised that, because we benefit from very low staff turnover, the average age of our workforce was gradually creeping upwards. We wanted to inject new talent to our staff group and also, as an organisation with a strong social ethos, we were keen to provide quality opportunities for local young people entering the jobs market. We are a Living Wage employer and also heavily invest in the training and development of our staff, so we hope to do even more in the future to support young people develop their careers and realise their ambitions.”

Peter Russian, chief executive of Investors in People Scotland, said “The Investors in Young People framework not only recognises and supports organisations in the employment of young people, but marks them out as an employer of choice.

The benefits of recruiting and developing young people are countless. These include the creation of a talent pool for the future, new and increased skills in areas such as IT and social media, fresh eyes and mind-sets into business operations along with enthusiasm and unique talents.”

The Eildon Group was established in 1973 as Eildon Housing Association, operating in the Scottish Borders, a recent independent economic impact report found that the activities of the Eildon Group generates nearly £17m of income each year and supports 340 jobs