Success at the Chemical Industry Awards

SABIC UK Petrochemicals scooped the Gold Standard Skills Award at the recent Chemical Industries Awards, while Sembcorp Industries’ George Ritchie was recognised for a lifetime of work in promoting apprenticeships.

The Gold Standards Skills Award – which recognises the employer who has contributed most to the acquisition of skills by the company’s workforce via the Cogent Gold Standard – was presented to SABIC for their Activity Based Learning scheme, which involved a complete analysis of all competences needed for every role within the business.

The company invest heavily in training and have initiated a new management development program to allow technicians to bridge the gap to management positions, plus an online learning training system to provide a blended learning approach, recognising not everyone learns in the same way.

“We’re delighted to see this important award go to SABIC UK Petrochemicals,” said Cogent CEO Joanna Woolf. “The company’s comprehensive training and development programs are benchmarked to the highest standards and importantly provide robust competency-based career pathways for employees. This award is well-deserved, reflecting a highly innovative learning approach at SABIC.”

George Ritchie, SVP Regional HR of Sembcorp was recognised for his work in leading and directing the Tees Valley Apprenticeship Programme, which has created and safeguarded more than 300 apprenticeships in the last two years.

“One thing that never ceases to inspire me is the skills and talents of the young people we have in this industry and the region – people grasping the nettle and taking advantage of the many opportunities there are out there,” Ritchie said. “These are the people who will be driving our business growth in the coming years and from those I have seen I think our future is in safe hands.”