Warrington Disability Partnership's employment team are finalist for 2019 ERSA Employability Award

Warrington Disability Partnership's New Leaf team has been shortlisted as a finalist for the ERSA Employability Awards 2019 in the Partner of the Year category.

Now in its seventh year, the ERSA Employability Awards celebrate best practice across the employment support sector and seek to demonstrate the day-to-day hard work and dedication of those working to improve the lives of jobseekers, communities and the wider workforce.

New Leaf, led by Torus Foundation and funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and The National Lottery Community Fund, is part of the Building Better Opportunities programme. Delivering across Warrington and Cheshire, New Leaf is helping thousands of people to become workplace ready.

As part of New Leaf, Warrington Disability Partnership has supported 189 people to transform their lives since 2016 and has been nominated for the Partner of the Year award, recognising excellence as a delivery partner in the field of employment support.

ERSA received over 150 entries from across the UK. This year’s submissions were judged by an all-star panel consisting of internationally recognised political thinker and Director of ResPublica, Phillip Blond, editor of The Sun’s employment page, Jane Hamilton, senior civil servant at the Department for Work and Pensions, Mark Staley, and Winner of Adviser of the Year 2018, Tanya Weston of Genius Within.

The winner will be announced at a special ceremony on 20 June with the Minister for Employment, Alok Sharma MP.
Derek Jones, Deputy Chief Executive for Warrington Disability Partnership said:
“To have been shortlisted as Partner of the Year in such a highly competitive category alongside multi-national, national and community organisations is a huge achievement for our team. This is recognition for their innovative approach, commitment and quality of their work on a daily basis, alongside impressive outcome achievements in excess of their contractual targets. I am very proud of their efforts.”

Andy Rawlins, New Leaf Programme Manager at Torus Foundation said:
“Being shortlisted for the Partner of the Year ERSA award is an incredible achievement and a testament to the work our team at Warrington Disability Partnership are doing to help the most vulnerable people of Warrington. The support they provide goes beyond helping people get closer to work, they are changing people’s lives on a daily basis.”

Elizabeth Taylor, Interim Chief Executive, ERSA, said:
‘This year’s ERSA Employability Award submissions demonstrate the extraordinary achievements of individuals and organisations supporting people to enter, sustain and progress in work. The huge number of nominations ERSA received highlight the breadth of the commitment in the sector and the tireless work that goes on at the frontline every day. Congratulations to all our finalists!’

Please visit ersa.org.uk/news/finalists2019 for a full list of finalists.

If you would like to know more about New Leaf, please visit www.newleafcheshire.co.uk or call 01925 452131.

Published: 02/05/2019