Staff and management at Buckie Shipyard are celebrating after the firm received the Investors in People award, the national recognition for organisations that aim to develop staff skills in line with business planning.

The Buckie yards have been a familiar feature of the east Moray town for more than a hundred years and, following a period of decline and uncertainty, were bought by the Lithgow Group in 1996 to form Buckie Shipyard Limited (BSL).

BSL carries out servicing and refits for all types of vessels from all round the UK, as well as MoD vessels and, most famously, lifeboats.  It employs 60 staff, including six modern apprentices, and has a detailed training programme in place.

The company has had a close association with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for many decades.  It is one of only three yards in the UK capable of meeting the stringent service requirements of the largest class of lifeboat, the 'Severn', and maintains a team of dedicated and highly trained employees specialising in the total refit of lifeboats.

A major upgrading of its facilities, representing an investment of £1.5m, is currently underway, with assistance from Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (MBSE), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and The Moray Council.  This will increase capacity in order to meet the needs of future RNLI contracts.  The upgrade includes construction of a 1,600 square metre facility with state-of-the-art, 10m-high painting booth, a slipway, and the purchase of new boat-lifting equipment.  These new facilities are due to begin operation in September.

IiP for the company was achieved with advice and support from MBSE.  Senior development manager, Wendy Galloway, said:  "The staff and management at Buckie Shipyard have taken a very planned and progressive approach to staff development and the Investors in People recognition for this is well deserved.  We particularly welcome the number of Modern Apprenticeship opportunities created at the yard, which benefit young people and those changing careers.

"We always encourage companies of any size and type to consider IiP as part of their business planning and development.  In most cases it improves business, particularly planning, communication and management.  It can also help create a more positive working environment and many companies even attribute increased profits to IiP."

Receiving the IiP award, BSL chief executive Bill Carson, said:  "I am delighted that the company has been awarded Investors in People status and I attribute this latest success to the ongoing effort and commitment of our workforce.  We work extremely hard to provide a high quality service for our customers and success in this can only be achieved and maintained by continual investment in training to meet the future needs of the industry.  With the new facilities due to come on line in the next few weeks, and the additional jobs this will create will allow us to improve our level of service to new and existing customers whilst improving the environment for our workforce."

HIE chief executive, Sandy Cumming, visited the yard on Monday (23rd June) to present the award and to view work in progress on the new facilities.  Afterwards he said: "Buckie Shipyard is a real asset to the Moray coast economy, providing many valuable training and employment opportunities for local people.  It is an excellent example of a company that has not only maintained its status within an historic and traditional industry, but has also developed to meet the highest industry standards expected in modern times.  Investors in People is of course part of that process, along with the major upgrading of facilities."