We are incredibly excited to announce that Portal Training was chosen as the winner of The Small Business Award at The Investors in People Awards 2021.
The UK-wide awards, which were launched 8 years ago, saw the highest number of entries this year since the awards began!
Portal’s Managing Director Gwawr Booth said when Portal submitted the application form for the Small Business Award, never in their wildest dreams did they think they would win it.
Gwawr said: “Well, what can we say, we’re thrilled, delighted, overjoyed, ecstatic! To be recognised on a UK platform is just overwhelming yet the team so richly deserve this.
“We’ve always lived by a few sayings at Portal. The first one was said by my lovely mentor who told me: ‘Chase quality, and everything else will chase you’.
“And the other being a lesson from my Dad: ‘Always look after those who look after you’.
“I think these 2 sentences embody us as a company. We look after each other and we’ve chased the highest quality in everything that we do, even when it meant a far more difficult journey. This award is testament to the team’s commitment to these attributes.”
Earlier this year, Portal achieved Gold standard in the Investors in People We Invest in Wellbeing Award, making them not only the first organisation in Wales to achieve Gold, but also the smallest.
Portal first joined the Investors In People community in 2020, from there they set off on their journey of realising their strengths, and looking at the wellbeing of their staff in even greater detail, which ultimately led to the Gold award.
Gwawr said: “We always put people before profit.
“Happiness is key to us. When decisions are made, we ask each other, will this make all of us happy? If the answer is no, then we leave the project be. These are simple sentiments to live by but it seems to have worked for us.
“There have been really tough moments over the 11 years since Portal was founded, but we’ve stuck to the above principles and turned to our core values of being respectful and having fun whilst working as a great team when times have proved difficult.”
She added: “Recruiting the best people who have a similar vein of passion, professionalism and general happiness has proved to be hugely successful for us as the team take such pride in all that they do and are such ambassadors for the company. It is their hard work on the front line that ensures we have repeat customers and that we enjoy the successes that we’ve had.
“The team look after each other and all of us are doing our best to ensure that each member feels supported and valued during extremely challenging times, especially for those working very remotely. Our team are based across Wales so it can be difficult to instil a sense of team with so many miles separating us all.”
Paul Devoy, Investors in People, commented: “The Investors in People Awards 2021 was a recording break year in regards to the number of entries and number of organisations entering, so for every organisation that won, your win will taste a little bit sweeter!
“I am so proud of every organisation that entered this year, demonstrating their fantastic commitment to making work better. And as a Winner, Portal really stands out amongst the crowd. A huge well done to all involved!”
The Investors in People Awards is all about recognising the organisations and individuals committed to making work better for their people. We look forward to defending our crown in 2022!
