Three nominees from the Highlands and Islands have been announced as finalists for this year's National Training Awards (NTA).

The awards, managed in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, are the UK's premier showcase for organisations and people who have been selected for their outstanding achievements in workplace training and personal development.

The Scottish Training Awards will be held at Radisson SAS Hotel in Glasgow on Thursday 2nd November. The awards go to organisations that are judged to be exceptional in Scotland. The winners of the National Training Awards will go on to participate in a UK-wide celebration in London later this year.

Two nominees from Moray have been short-listed for the awards. Varis Engineering is a fabrication and welding company based in Forres, manufacturing pontoons, distillery equipment and bridges. The company has successfully established its own training division in the absence of suitable local training providers that offer the required training. The training was initially intended to be in-house only, but following an inquiry to train unemployed people, this progressed to a three-year contract and now the company offers high quality training to a community that has not previously had the chance to benefit.

A care home operator that coped with major change to remain viable has also earned a place in the NTA final.  Parklands Ltd is based in Buckie and operates care homes in Buckie, Keith, Aberlour and Grantown. The introduction of free personal care in Scotland in 2002 changed the market overnight. To overcome this, the company used a new ground breaking and innovative approach to managing care homes, by using a mobile trained nurse to support shift leaders which can now be used as a model for others. 

A programme which opens the door to training for qualifications in childcare in Lewis and Harris has also gained a place in the NTA finals. Western Isles Child Care Partnership funds Training for Development, the local childcare training programme based in Stornoway. Having this work-based training programme is an enormous benefit and allows people to take advantage of the opportunity to raise their level of skills thus benefiting children in their group and the wider community. 

Alex Paterson, director of developing skills, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: "Developing the skills of employees is a hugely important issue, both for the competitiveness of individual businesses and for the country as a whole. This year's finalists are typical of a large number of Scottish businesses that recognise this and are seizing the challenge of greater workforce development with the assistance of the enterprise networks. I am pleased that Highlands and Islands Enterprise has again been able to support the awards and congratulate, in advance, all the winners on their achievement."