We entered the IIP awards as it provides a global platform for Routes to Work (RTW) to celebrate the achievement of our colleagues and, most significantly, the clients we support. The “Building Purpose-Driven Impact Award,” aligned to work in establishing our innovative Social Value Evaluation Framework; ‘Routes to Impact’, the first of its kind in the employability sector.
We wanted to highlight the wider interventions and positive impact we have in addition to the more recognised outcomes of securing and sustaining fair work for our clients. We know we are helping clients achieve transformational change through a motivated, passionate, and committed team. The support the team provides to clients is life changing for thousands of people and their families. Previously, there were challenges capturing and evidencing the “magic,” we create in our clients’ lives and their communities. Therefore, we embarked on this 3-year journey which led to the creation of ‘Routes to Impact” and we hoped a nomination would let the world know about RTW and this amazing journey.
Our entry highlights the importance of evidencing social value, in a period when difficult funding decisions have to be made. We want to promote the contributions the employability sector makes and celebrate RTW supporting over 24,000 people into employment in the last 23 years. In addition, our focus on Social Value highlights the wider and academically proven outcomes for clients across health, wellbeing, support network, confidence and motivation, skills and finance.
These all go “above and beyond,” more traditional employability measures and highlighting how a social value tool is used to capture the positive impact organisations make beyond financial results. Using ’Routes to Impact’, we now have academic proof of the difference we make to people’s lives and communities. By celebrating this, we recognise our power to inspire meaningful and sustained change in the communities we work in.
Being shortlisted for an IIP 2025 Award is a huge honour. It’s recognition of the culture we’ve built together over the last 23 years, developing RTW into a respected and “thought leading,” employment charity in Scotland.
We are delighted to be shortlisted and securing external recognition of the time, effort and investment committed to developing our Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the support of University of the West of Scotland, Innovate UK and Social Valuation International in establishing an innovative Progression Tool and Social Value Evaluation Framework which recognises wider client outcomes and RTW Social Return on Investment.
We are pleased that IIP were impressed with RTW enthusiasm to embrace the feedback from our IIP assessment and feedback that we are a model case study of what can happen when feedback is acted on. The IIP comments noted that we clearly outlined the steps we took and the positive impact this has had, both on the culture and our business metrics. IIP also acknowledged that we are not stopping here and continue to develop the framework and consider how we can potentially support others through a similar journey. We recognise that establishing the framework has been an onerous process and very much a long-term commitment to assess impact on the various client groups we support. However, we persevered to ensure the effective collection of data to ensure validity and the independent recognition of our Social Value Evaluation Framework.
Being shortlisted is recognition of our commitment to developing, supporting and empowering people and, ultimately, our aim to make key contributions to improving the economy, reducing poverty and to creating a society where everyone has a good quality of life.
To be recognised alongside other outstanding organisations inspires us to keep pushing forward, continually improving, and making sure our colleagues, and outcomes for our clients, remain at the heart of everything we do.
Winning an Investors in People 2025 Award would be an incredible milestone and recognition for Routes to Work. It would be a powerful endorsement of the culture we’ve worked hard to build over 23 years. One where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to do their best work.
In regards our work around our Knowledge Transfer Partnership and Social Value, it would be a moment of significant pride and celebration. For the organisation and clients, we support, it would serve as both validation and motivation: proof that we are on the right path in focusing on the wider impact of our services, and encouragement for everyone to keep raising the bar for how we invest in, develop, and empower our colleagues to the benefit of the clients and communities we support.
Winning the award in the same year we secured IIP Platinum status would be further evidence of the benefits in expanding the evaluative scope beyond primary (client) beneficiaries. IIP recognition will enable RTW to further promote the wider impact of employability interventions and the return on investment to regional and national external stakeholders (NHS, Scottish & UK Government, employers and other stakeholders).
RTW acknowledges the organisational benefits of pursuing Investors in People Accreditation as a globally recognised standard for people management. The support of the IIP community has undoubtedly assisted our development as a “thought leader,” in our industry.
We have made significant investments in developing an intent-based leadership approach which focuses on improving leadership, employee engagement, and developing a positive organisational culture.
Our journey to achieving IIP Platinum status has signaled RTW commitment and investment to our colleagues, clients, and stakeholders and our appreciation of the importance of developing a positive organisational culture. It has helped RTW improve our recruitment & retention and attract high-quality colleagues and new talent that may not have previously considered careers in the employability sector.
IIP has helped RTW enhance our performance and productivity, resulting in colleagues who are highly motivated to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients. IIP has enabled RTW to reflect and improve our leadership, culture, and strategy, aligned to our ambitions for growth and the development of our Social Evaluation Framework. This growth has been significant, especially in the last 3 years, which has witnessed a significant turnover increase from £2.7M to £4M, a growth in colleague numbers (from 70 to 90 since 2022/23) our highest figures in the history of RTW, along with securing delivery in new geographic areas out with North Lanarkshire including West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire.
Achieving IIP Platinum status has provided independent validation and credibility for RTW and increased confidence from our stakeholders, board, and investors. We believe that IIP recognition increases the likelihood of further growth and continuing positive impact in the communities we support.
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