The Department of Economic Development has announced that it has been awarded Investors in People (IIP) Gold status following its recent assessment. 
 
Investors in People is a framework that helps organisations transform their business performance through its people. The practical benefits of working towards IIP accreditation include customer satisfaction, greater efficiency through reduced costs and wastage, and competitive advantage through improved performance. 
 
John Shimmin MHK, Minister for the Department of Economic Development said:

‘The IIP Gold status recognises the efforts we have made within the Department to further improve our business performance and I would like to express my thanks to all staff for their contribution to this achievement, especially Deputy Chief Executive, David Ronan, who led the IIP Project Team.’
 
‘Our challenge now is to ensure that we continue to reinforce our ‘can do’ attitude when dealing with our many stakeholders, by providing excellent standards of service and ensuring that we play our part in delivering against the overall Government aims of generating economic growth, rebalancing the budget and protecting the vulnerable.’
 
Laurence Skelly MHK, Political Member of the Department of Economic Development with responsibility for Investors in People, said:

‘This is a significant achievement considering the Department’s relatively short existence and diverse responsibilities.  Within the first 10 months of the Department’s creation, 125 management and staff had been relocated into different buildings, some more than once. Therefore, it’s pleasing to note that during several visits the Assessor witnessed significant progress in terms of the impact that Investors in People was having as a business improvement tool.‘
 
Michael Lynch, IIP Assessor for the North of England, said:

‘To achieve the Gold standard, the Department of Economic Development had to satisfy 165 criteria during their assessment and achieved an overall total of 168 criteria. The Department now joins an elite group of only five organisations in the Isle of Man who have been awarded the Gold standard.’
 
Any organisation interested in finding out more about Investors in People can visit the Department of Economic Development’s website at http://www.gov.im/ded/grants/investorsinpeople.xml.
 
Photo - Laurence Skelly MHK, who has political responsibility for Investors in People, presents the Gold Award to David Ronan, the Department of Economic Development’s Deputy Chief Executive and Chairman of the IIP Project Team.  Also pictured is the Economic Development Minister John Shimmin MHK with members of the Investors in People Project Team.