By Scott Wright

A MAJOR awards scheme that celebrates excellence in the recruitment industry will make its comeback this year following a hiatus sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

The s1jobs Recruitment Awards will return in August to toast the individuals and organisations setting the highest standards in the Scottish jobs market.

Entries are now open for the ninth edition of the awards, held in association with esure, Lidl, Quariers and Turning Point Scotland, with sixteen categories on offer this year.

Previous winners include Sky, Tesco Bank, Greggs, The AA, Babcock, Blue Arrow and the University of Edinburgh.

Gavin Mochan, commercial director of s1, said: “2021 is an exciting year for the s1Jobs Awards in association with esure. The original vision was, and remains, to promote the best working practices and outcomes across the Scottish recruitment industry. When the bar is risen others will follow and the recognition of these achievements allows the industry to advance in a continuous cycle.

“In a year of adversity, we have seen the bar increase and the sum of the incremental gains means we have a Scottish recruitment industry which is progressive, challenge-beating and innovative. As the market evolves, the awards must too, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with esure and our sponsors to create another memorable awards evening in August.”

This year’s categories include HR Team of the Year sponsored by Turning Point Scotland, which will look for groups that can demonstrate the positive impact they have on their businesses.

The Best Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Lidl, will recognise the Scottish employer that best demonstrates diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their candidate attraction and people management activities.

This year’s awards will take place on Thursday, August 26 via a virtual event platform, Awards Room, hosted by Joel Dommett. As well as celebrating the 2021 winners, the event will recognise those that were shortlisted for the 2020 awards before it was put on hold. ENABLE Scotland, Hays Travel, Lidl and Together Energy were shortlisted last year for Best Recruitment Campaign, while Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Chivas Brothers International Graduate Programme, Hays Travel and Volvo Truck and Bus North & Scotland made the final shake-down for Best Early Careers Employer (Apprentice/Graduate).

Shortlisted for the Best Recruitment website are Balfour Beatty, Mercedes-Benz and TMM Recruitment. Allied Vehicles Group, Capability Scotland, Net Talent and Quarriers made the shortlist for Best Recruitment Video.

To enter the awards visit www.s1recruitmentawards.co.uk. The deadline for entries is Thursday, July 15.