Two Excellence Awards for Homes for Haringey

Published by Rose Obianwu for Homes for Haringey in Housing and also in Communities, Education

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London has awarded Homes for Haringey both the 2010 Employer Excellence and Carpentry Excellence Awards.

With responsibility for managing over 20,000 council properties, the housing management organisation received the accolades for providing outstanding development opportunities for its trades’ apprentices.

Learning and Development Advisor, Mary Keane, and apprentice carpenter, Fiona McKinney, collected the Awards along with £125 worth of retail vouchers at a ceremony, held at Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club on 8 December 2010.

McKinney, 18, started her career with Homes for Haringey in September 2009 in the repairs depot based on Lordship Lane, Tottenham N17.   In June, she was also shortlisted for the APSE National Housing and Building Apprentice of the Year award.

Over forty Awards for Excellence were presented to outstanding learners from each of the College’s curriculum areas, including, apprentices, partner employers and staff as well as special awards for Employer of the Year, Higher Education, Key Stage 4, and Tutor of the Year.
Homes for Haringey Chief Executive, Paul Bridge, said:  "It is a real honour to receive these awards on behalf of Homes for Haringey and Fiona McKinney. We have long recognised the value of investing in our workforce and a long term apprenticeship programme for Haringey.”

Presenting the Awards, Paul Head, Principal and Chief Executive of the College, said: "The Awards are the College's opportunity to celebrate excellence, achievement, commitment and success. They highlight the skills and drive of our outstanding students, the commitment to workforce development of our partner employers, and the dedication and enthusiasm of our staff."  

Matthew Johnson of Ocean Contract Cleaning London, which sponsored the Employer Excellence Awards, added “It was a pleasure for Ocean to be involved with this event and we are proud to have sponsored these awards which recognise the hard work, dedication and commitment to learning of employers such as Homes for Haringey.  Our congratulations go to all the learners, teachers and employers whose achievements were recognised.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

Homes for Haringey’s repairs service employs over 200 operatives. Almost 50, who are now fully qualified, started their careers as Haringey apprentices.   The scheme started in the mid seventies. 

The awards are held annually to celebrate excellence and are sponsored by several College partners who generously donate gifts and prize money to the winners. Ocean Contract Cleaning London is the provider of cleaning services to the College. Trade tools and hardware supplier, ScrewFix sponsored the Carpentry Excellence Award.

Fiona was one of 10 new apprentices recruited into the in-house repairs depot in September 2009. The five men and women were selected from over 150 applicants.  As well as getting practical experience working within the depot sites and refurbishing empty council homes, she attends college one day a week at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London to study for a level 3 NVQ in Advanced Carpentry.