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PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY
Derwen College
Procure Plus Holdings has been recognised with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise after helping thousands of people from disadvantaged communities in to sustainable, meaningful employment. The company specialises in the procurement of goods and services for the social housing sector, helping providers secure cash savings of between 10% and 20% with no reduction in quality or service. The surpluses generated Procure Plus
Derwen College is an award-winning specialist college for young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Based in Shropshire, Derwen
provides bespoke vocational and independence training for 16 to 25-year-olds. Students work in its outstanding on-site, public-facing facilities – Derwen Marketplace – where they gain real-life skills in its garden centre, café, restaurant, print shop, charity shop and hotel. The college’s positive and
A programme beneficiary loving their new role, support- ed by Procure Plus
empowering culture gives students the skills and confidence to live life their own way. By creating a space for them to develop hands-on, practical experience, it gives them the freedom to imagine what’s possible and empowers them to achieve it. Derwen College is proud to achieve outcomes that exceed the national average for people with SEND – including progression into work, increased independence and progress towards supported living. Principal and CEO Meryl Green said: “Receiving a Queen’s Award is a landmark moment for the college and endorses the work of our amazing staff and students.” Derwen College supports students to lead the lives they choose
from the procurement business are used to train and develop people who find themselves distanced from the employment market, using a range of training and support mechanisms, and working with local communities. This pioneering work has supported 2,534 people into sustainable employment over the past five years, with 90% of these beneficiaries having significant barriers to the labour market. In order to ensure employment is truly sustainable, ongoing in-work support is provided for both candidates and employers, leading to over 87% of candidates remaining in work for longer than six months. PROCURE PLUS Duckworth House, Talbot Rd, Manchester M32 0FP Tel: +44 (0) 303 030 0030 • support@procure-plus.com • www.procure-plus.com @procureplus procure plus
DERWEN COLLEGE Whittington Road, Gobowen, near Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 3JA Tel: 01691 661234 • enquiries@derwen.ac.uk • www.derwen.ac.uk @DerwenCollege @DerwenCollege Derwen College
upReach
YTKO Ltd
upReach is a social mobility charity driven by a vision of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential, regardless of social background. Through free, one-to-one career support, it works to create the conditions for undergraduates from less advantaged backgrounds to access and sustain top graduate jobs. Founded in 2012, upReach began as a small but ambitious team dedicated to transforming social mobility in the UK. From these humble
YTKO has helped entrepreneurs start, sustain and scale their businesses for over 40 years, through strategic consultancy and hands-on operational support over the full lifecycle, creating measurable results and contributing to economic and social prosperity. An independent evaluation of YTKO’s Social Mission concluded that over a 15- year period, covering recession, austerity, Brexit and Covid, YTKO helped nearly 31,000 entrepreneurs, over 22,500 growing businesses and raised £73m in finance, creating over 10,300 new jobs and an estimated £691 million GVA. “Being honoured with a Queen’s Award is a wonderful recognition of the work and the
beginnings, upReach has grown to a team of over 70 staff members, with offices in London, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham and Newcastle. In 2022, it is supporting 3,000 students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to broaden their horizons, develop skills, build networks, gain experience and secure top graduate jobs on merit.
Bev Hurley CBE, CEO of YTKO
impact that the whole team has achieved,” said CEO Bev Hurley CBE, previously awarded the Queen’s Individual Award for Enterprise Promotion, and current Chair of the Institute of Economic Development. “Everything we do is all about making a tangible, positive impact, changing the life chances of individuals, measurably transforming and accelerating business success, contributing to the economy and the communities in which our business operates.”
UPREACH Canopi, 7-14 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4YR Tel: 020 3096 7711 • team@upreach.org.uk • www.upreach.org.uk @up_reach upReachUK @upreach_team
YTKO LTD 150 Minories, London EC3N 1LS Tel: 0203 745 1979 • info@ytko.com • www.ytko.com @ytko_enterprise ytko-group-limited
company/2693222
Queen’s Awards Magazine 2022
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