5th October 2007

On Friday the 28th of September Midland Valley was awarded the Glasgow Business Diversity Award for Recruitment. Dr Alan Gibbs, the founding Director of Midland Valley accepted the nomination on behalf of the Company. Midland Valley was nominated by Bridges Programme, a specialist agency that helps refugees and asylum seekers gain meaningful work experience within their field of expertise.

Midland Valley was approached earlier in 2007 with the opportunity to place an asylum seeker with experience and training in a similar area of expertise, and was delighted to offer him the chance to shadow the geological team to improve his skills and knowledge while he went through his asylum application process.

Elizabeth Porter, a case worker, for the Bridges Programme put forward the nomination. “I felt that Midland Valley should be awarded for their forward thinking and inclusive attitude, they offered to help a person without any guarantee or return for them. From the beginning the staff gave our client their unconditional support and welcomed him in to the team.”

The award now sits proudly on the front desk at Midland Valley’s Headquarters in Glasgow and we now progress through to the national Scottish awards.

“Groups such as Bridges Programme do a lot to help refugees and asylum seekers get through another traumatic process. As a society we should be doing more and I felt that supporting the Programme was the least we could do. Quite simply, we believe that every one deserves a chance. Societies and communities that are most open to diversity are those which are most successful.”  said Alan Gibbs

The awards were sponsored by Equal Access to Employment Glasgow, the Focus Development Partnership and Jobcentre Plus.