Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) has been recognised for its commitment to young people with the award of Investors in Young People (IIYP) accreditation.

The Association has become an employer of choice for young people, with 32 apprenticeships, 65 work placements and 3 internships offered in recent years.

IIYP recognises organisations which “demonstrate excellence in recruiting and retaining Young People, while encouraging others to begin working with Young People”.

During an on-site review, IIYP assessed SBHA against a number of criteria, including how effectively young people are mentored and supported within the organisation, the extent to which their career path is clearly structured, and whether or not they are able to realise their aspirations as employees of SBHA.

Kyle Brunton, Rachel Morgan and Rian Taylor are three of the young people currently working with SBHA, who have benefited from the Association’s strategy to support young people into employment.

IT intern Rian, from Hawick, said: “It’s a great opportunity. What I like is that my opinion matters – I’m making a direct impact on decisions within the IT department. It’s going to make a huge difference to my future career.”

The assessor also spoke to managers in the course of the visit, and was particularly impressed by the passion shown by the leadership team and managers for the recruitment of young colleagues. SBHA works with various partners, including Borders College and local high schools, to help young people to identify future careers and make the transition into the workplace.

He noted that SBHA retained the majority of its young people, and referred to the Association’s reputation as “an excellent place to learn and develop”, where young people are encouraged to learn and achieve qualifications, and work is structured flexibly to allow for this.

He praised the recognition shown to young staff members, through both internal staff awards and participation for apprentices in the Scottish Federation of Housing Association’s Apprentice of the Year competition.

The assessor was also very impressed with SBHA’s work within the community; in particular the Go4It project, which helps Young People to re-enter education, or develop the skills necessary to prepare for work. Through the Go4It project, applicants can get advice on writing CVs and cover letters, as well as interview tips and help to find suitable courses to enhance their employment prospects. In total, since the Go4It project commenced in April 2014, 80 Tenants have been referred to the project, 41 of whom (51%) have completed a 6 week programme with SBHA’s employability adviser.

Peter Russian, chief executive of Investors in People Scotland, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Scottish Borders Housing Association. I would like to congratulate the organisation and its people on their commitment to continuous improvement. I hope that more organisations in the area will be encouraged to sharpen their competitive edge by choosing to work with us.”

SBHA chief executive, Julia Mulloy, said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded IIYP Accreditation. This is a great achievement, reflecting our work to support young people within SBHA and the wider community. Young people bring fresh thinking and new ideas, and their contribution is greatly valued within SBHA. We will go on developing our People Strategy to ensure that we continue to be viewed as an employer of choice by young people, and that we support and generate training and employment opportunities.”