"Healthy Things Grow”: Why Elementa, the #CIBSEYEA Employer of the Year 2018 Award winning team, walks two inches taller

Welcome to our #CIBSEYEA blog series.

Entries for the CIBSE Employer of the Year Award 2019 are now closed and with the shortlist under way, what better way to inspire your business to enter next year than to revisit our 2017 and 2018 CIBSE Employer of the Year Award winner, Elementa Consulting.

Earlier this month, we managed to catch up with Managing Director of Elementa Consulting, Doug Kerr, to help us celebrate their fantastic victory of becoming the 2018 overall employer winner and shed some more light on their ongoing commitment to supporting and mentoring newly qualified engineers. Enjoy the read.

Doug Kerr: When applying for the CIBSE Employer of the year award, the question we asked ourselves was: 

"why do we want to be recognised in this way?" 

And really, there were two sides to this coin. On the one hand, we wanted to raise our profile as a top company within our industry, to appear more attractive to both clients and future employees, focusing on the success and growth of our business. On the other hand, we wanted to ensure we truly measure up as a good employer as rather than just focusing on the size of our company, we endeavour to focus on the health of our company, because healthy things grow.

"We believe that the main health indicator of our company is our employees."

When thinking about a public institution to raise our profile within the industry, CIBSE is a natural choice for us to affiliate ties with. Our existing relationship with CIBSE has grown in recent years, as prior to winning the CIBSE Employer of the Year Award, we were already one of only a small number of consultants in the UK who have a fully accredited CIBSE training plan. This allowed us to thoroughly demonstrate our ability to authentically shape and mentor new employees towards a top career in engineering. MEP is the core of our business but as we grow, we’re also recruiting further afield and from varied backgrounds with non-engineering experience. This ensures we frequently expand our knowledge and services as a company, pushing us to continually look at improving and diversifying our employee development programmes.

What did winning the Award mean to Elementa Consulting? 

Winning the Award has unquestionably helped raise our profile within the industry and therefore enhanced our reputation among potential employees as a desirable place to work. One of our new recruits said:

“What intrigued me about Elementa was the fact that it has a clear drive towards sustainability, which is arguably the most important topic in the current climate globally. Also, the CIBSE Employer of the Year Award 2018 made me confident about their attention to their staff.”

Winning also raises awareness to the industry, recognising that employees at Elementa Consulting are a valuable commodity: skilled, developed, rounded and good for growth. This, in turn, puts the onus on us to continue facilitating opportunities for our staff by promoting and growing from within. A prime example of this approach includes the three current board members who started at Elementa Consulting as graduates. Year on year, we guide a steady stream of engineers to achieve chartership.

Exposing young talent to opportunities for them to progress faster in their careers is a key focus within the firm. All our staff receive experience in project management, design management, focus group research, team leading and corporate social responsibility. It’s not just engineering functions but these other areas of expertise as well that ultimately strengthen their overall skillbase and personal development.

When asked if he had any advice for the 2019 Award entrants, he responded encouragingly:

“Believe in it! And do it, you’ve got to commit. It should not just be about filling in the application form and hopefully scramble a submission together to make it look meaningful. You’ve got to actually embed it into your business. It’s got to be tangible and be continually pushed, not just for the awards but for the growth and future health of your business.”

We know from the day after we won the Award, everyone in our business was walking two inches taller than the day before. There’s a pride about working for a company that is driving our careers forward and is recognised by the industry.”

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About the Awards

2019 entries are now closed. Thank you for all your interest and participation. 

The CIBSE Young Engineers Awards recognise and reward the innovative thinking, hard work and skills of graduate engineers, whilst also showcasing employers who are truly committed to developing and encouraging young talent. The awards are open to both CIBSE members and non-members alike.

There are two categories:

CIBSE Employer of the Year Award
CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year

We look forward to hosting the 2019 Awards finalists at the exclusive Awards Dinner on Thursday, 10th October in London.

If you have any questions regarding the Awards, please contact us at yea@cibse.org

These critical to the future of the sector Awards, delivered in partnership with CIBSE Patrons are possible thanks to our dedicated sponsors and partners. We would like to thank Baxi Heating, Kingspan, Swegon and Tamlite Lighting for sponsoring the Awards, and CIBSE ASHRAE Group and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for their ongoing support.