BEST NEW BUSINESS
WINNER :
1ST FOR EPA
When apprenticeships have their EPAs ( end point assessments ), Helen Shinner ’ s fledgling firm comes into its own .
On course to reach £ 500,000 turnover by the end of the financial year , Middlesbrough-based 1st for EPA only began trading in March 2020 , just as lockdowns started to bite . But through its mix of guidance packs , provider training and detailed feedback for apprentices and employers alike , apprenticeships go into their EPAs as prepared as they can be .
And the demand for its services has put the firm in a good position to expand .
Helen says : “ We ’ re very much focused on customer service and quality , and that is where we make our mark . We are there to support the apprentice and the training provider – and to ensure apprentices get the most out of what they do and they can then go on . They get their apprenticeship , they go on to do great things in their career and that is what it ’ s all about .”
And Helen is quick to praise the 1st for EPA team . She said : “ Bexter , Beehive , T-Dog , Ange Pange – the team are incredible . We are womenowned , women-led - most of the team are female and work so hard . They genuinely care about what we do and we would not be who we are without them .
“ We ’ ve just found out we ’ ve got Ofqual recognition too , which is humungous .
“ We ’ re going to continue doing what we do , we ’ re going to work with more people and grow even further .”
Sponsored by Plastic Furniture Company
Congratulations ! Frances Connolly ( left ) of category sponsors Plastic Furniture Company presents the Best New Business Award to Helen Shinner from 1st for EPA .
FINALIST : FINALIST :
CHAMPION TUTOR
With a background in education and a track record of supporting students ’ mental wellbeing , co-founders Anna Coulson and Linda Burgess created Champion Tutor .
And the ethos of the East Rountonbased company , which started trading in November 2020 , is simple - to give students the precise support they need to reach highly aspirational goals , delivered by tutors with the intuition to assist their positive mental wellbeing .
It ’ s a recognition that no two students are the same , along with a skilled network of up to 120 self-employed tutors , around three quarters of whom are female , which has quickly established Champion Tutor ’ s reputation for excellence – and has even prompted actress Tamzin Outhwaite to acquire 10 per cent of the shares in the company .
GREENOLOGY
Pioneers in the green economy , Greenology , based on Skippers Lane Industrial Estate , Middlesbrough , recycles “ difficult ” products such as tyres and wind turbine blades to create biofuel .
Having recovered from a devastating blaze at its former site , it ’ s gone from a £ 30,000 profit in its first 12 months to £ 330,000 now – and an estimated £ 2m in a year ’ s time once new plant is installed .
But it ’ s the ethos behind Greenology which sets it apart , with its determination to champion the female sector and its vibrant female apprentice scheme .
And they proudly boast that no one in Greenology was furloughed , there is a zero sick-rate and they have a recruitment policy to help the long-term unemployed .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Frances Connolly of category sponsor Plastic Furniture Company said : “ While there is still work to be done to achieve true gender equality , the Tees Businesswomen Awards celebrate the huge strides that have been taken in women ’ s rights over the last century .
“ They throw a spotlight on the vast array of strong , talented and successful women in the business arena across Teesside , and they provide an opportunity for women to support and encourage each other through the sometimes adversarial and always difficult quagmire of business struggles .
“ It ’ s a privilege to be part of celebrating the journeys of the amazing women behind 1st for EPA , Greenology and Champion Tutor .”
32 | Tees Business