After being named Best Public Sector Organisation at the Employers' Forum on Age (EFA) Awards, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been praised for its commitment to lifelong learning through its apprenticeship scheme and fast-stream leadership courses.

The apprenticeship scheme is open to all staff across the UK, providing they don’t have a degree. The average age of a BIS apprentice is 46. The judges said of the scheme: “[It is] a great result that so many older workers have taken part in the apprenticeship scheme, with positive feedback from participants. The scheme was well thought out by BIS and well supported with relevant information for managers and staff.”

The EFA is a think-tank and campaigning group set up in 1996 to eliminate ageism in the workplace. Its awards, which recognise organisations that have developed new ways to tackle discrimination in the UK workplace, are presented alongside those of the Employers' Forum on Belief (EFB), an informal network of employers interested in religion and belief at work.

The awards are held in partnership with the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta).

Speaking at the award ceremony on 13 July, Trevor Phillips, chair of the Equality & Human Rights Commission, said: “We are at an important point for equalities in Britain and we have the chance to make unlawful and unfair discrimination a thing of the past. When, in as little as 20 years’ time, half the population will be over 50, discriminating against older workers is foolish. When women undergraduates outnumber men by a ratio of 4:3, sexism is a millstone round an employer’s neck. And when the economy needs to draw on every talent, a sensible employer can’t afford to let anyone feel discouraged or held back at work because of their personal beliefs.”

The winners were:
EFA Award for Best Public Sector (Overall) - Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)

EFA Award for Best Public Sector (Innovation) - Kent County Council
 
EFA Award for Best Private Sector (Overall) - Centrica

EFA Award for Best Private Sector (Innovation) - London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Ltd

EFB Award for Best Public Sector (Overall) - London Borough of Lambeth (Highly commended: Hertfordshire Constabulary)

EFB Award for Best Public Sector (Innovation) - West Midlands Police

EFB Award for Best Private Sector (Overall) - Sodexo UK & Ireland

EFB Award for Best Private Sector (Innovation) - National Grid

EFA & EFB Best Small Organisation (under 1,000 employees) - Core Assets Group

Full details of the winners are available here.