We’re GMCC Excellence Awards Winners!
Wiseup is extremely proud to announce that we had the honour of winning the People and Community Award at GMCC’s Excellence Awards last week. The event, held at Manchester’s Albert Hall brought together a selection of the region's finest businesses for a celebration of achievements. It is truly an honour to be recognised for our hard work and social impact, and we couldn’t have done this without all our wonderful business partners.
After being awarded the Silver Award in the Positive Impact category at the SME London Business Awards earlier in the year, this fantastic achievement marks another recognition of our work in this sphere. With a busy year almost over, we’re reflecting on how we came to be a multi-award winning social enterprise, and what led us to this position.
The Pathfinder Programme
Our core service making waves in the ESG world is The Pathfinder Programme, where employees from our partner businesses are trained to become mentors for 16-18 year olds ahead of a work placement. These mentors guide sixth-form and college students through four mentoring sessions, with a pivotal work experience placement taking place after the second session. This structure ensures that students gain not only career advice but also hands-on exposure to the workplace, and has proven instrumental in changing the lives of the young people involved.
Industry Talks at The Manchester College
In June, we organised a series of industry talks at The Manchester College’s Openshaw Campus, featuring eight leading Manchester businesses. The event offered over 100 T Level students from digital, business, engineering, construction, and health and social care courses the opportunity to hear directly from industry professionals. Through these insightful talks, students gained valuable knowledge about career paths and the skills needed to succeed in their chosen industries.
We are immensely grateful to the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce for this honour and to everyone who has supported Wiseup along the way. This award is a reflection of the collective effort, and we look forward to continuing our mission and making an even greater impact in the future.
Next up on our awards journey is the National SME Business Awards at Wembley this December. Nominated for three different categories – Family Business Of The Year Award, Positive Impact Award and Young Business Person of the Year Award, we hope that our efforts will continue to be recognised, long into the future.
Most importantly, our efforts are truly shaping the future of not just the lives of the young people we help, but the mentors who work closely with them and ultimately, the whole nation as well. With the future leaders and talent of tomorrow gaining vital experience from such initiatives, we’re helping to tackle social issues across the UK, which has a ripple effect on the wider economy and businesses alike.
We know that the future of the UK’s workforce is bright, as more and more businesses join in the challenge to dismantle barriers to the workplace. 2024 so far has shown just how transformative our work can be. We can’t wait for what’s to come!
