Founded in 2010, Portal is a dynamic and innovative bilingual training provider, supporting organisations to develop their workforce’s leadership and management capacity. 

Delivering ILM diplomas in Leadership and Management at levels 3, 4, 5 and 7, the company is experienced in supporting the professional development of a wide range of roles, from new managers to experienced senior leaders.

There are over 500 individuals currently accessing and engaged with fully funded Higher Apprenticeship programmes. Portal has recently extended its offering to include Childcare, Play, Learning and Development and Sports qualifications.

We spoke to Clare Jeffries, Janice Hart and Gwawr Booth about why Portal entered the awards, what an award would mean for the company and what the future holds.

In a few words, how are you making work better?

Portal’s board of Directors are keen to keep a family feel to the organisation, nurturing staff at all levels whilst ensuring staff happiness is at the top of their agenda. We aim to make work a positive and engaging place taking into consideration wellbeing and work-life balance.

We do this by providing a range of enhancements to staff packages which not only include financial rewards but also staff health care packages (includes access to family days out,) online exercise classes and staff fun/team building days.

We continuously aim to make Portal a better workplace by adhering to our core values and keeping any decisions open and honest whilst empowering staff to be part of the decision-making process.

Our future focus is to continue to embrace People and Development standards such as IIP to ensure the company never becomes complacent and continue to be an employer of choice.

Why did you enter The Investors in People Awards 2021?

Having been both the first and smallest company in Wales to achieve the ‘We Invest in Wellbeing’ Gold standard, our confidence has been elevated to feel more comfortable telling people about how we look after our staff. 

It also gives the Portal family the recognition they deserve and the confidence to wear their Portal badge with pride.

Are there any goals or challenges you hope an award will help you achieve or solve?

It is our hope that our IIP Awards will help increase staff and customer satisfaction levels and raise the business profile, as well as having a recognised standard to be an employer of choice.

Tell us what distinguishes you from other companies in the category you’re shortlisted in.

With such a huge number of entries this year, we are so excited to have reached the shortlist with some amazing companies. However, if we had to humbly state what sets us apart, our immense focus on wellbeing and our mission to put people before profit.

What does being shortlisted mean to everyone at your company? (Feel free to include stories of people running around the office, crying or calling their parents).

We are incredibly emotional and delighted to have been shortlisted for The Small Business Award, on top of already achieving the Gold Standard ‘We Invest in Wellbeing.’ 

Portal has come such a long way, especially over the last 12 months, where staff wellbeing has been a significant focus. We feel so proud to have been shortlisted and that Team Portal have been recognised for their hard work. The culture at Portal is something to be celebrated, and it is amazing to see that a larger audience now recognises it. 

We are on a continuous journey, but our work so far is already paying dividends, even more so with this recognition from Investors in People by being shortlisted for this award.

What would it mean to win?

To win this category would be such a pivotal, proud and major milestone in our journey. If we were lucky enough to win The Small Business Award, we would love to share our best practices and experiences with other organisations to focus on the wellbeing of teams being moved further onwards.

How would you use being the recipient of this award to influence others?

Being shortlisted not only benefits us as a team and business but is also of benefit to our learners and clients, who are seeing the results of our morals and standards.

It will provide us with a broader network and platform to share stories, best practices and case studies with other organisations. We work with amazing customers who also deserve to have their achievements celebrated!

What can we expect to see from your organisation in the next 12 months? (And beyond!)

Over the last 12 months, our journey has been unbelievably joyous, and we credit this to having a happy and content team. Hopefully, the coming 12 months will see us continue to grow and diversify our services and give an even greater focus on staff satisfaction levels through staff surveys, focus groups, and targeted support.

What advice would you give to anyone applying for The Investors in People Awards 2022?

Finally, if we could offer one piece of advice to companies thinking of entering the Investors in People Awards 2022, it would be: Believe in yourself and do it, shout about your stories and celebrate your success.