Star Refrigeration recognised for promoting Diversity with Highly Commended accolade
Star Refrigeration is celebrating after being Highly Commended at the RAC Cooling Awards in the Diversity Impact category.
The UK’s leading refrigeration and heating company was Highly Commended in the category of Diversity Impact at the RAC Cooling Awards ceremony last week. Star Refrigeration’s Group Sales and Marketing Director was also presented with the prestigious Fred Jamieson Award at this year’s event which took place at the Grosvenor House Ballroom in London.
The Diversity Impact award was judged on the success of initiatives to improve diversity in the industry, particularly related to underrepresented groups in the sector, including women and minority groups. Star was nominated for the award alongside the also ‘Highly Commended’ Women in RACHP Group and the winners of the category, STEMazing/World Refrigeration Day.
Nadia Rae, Group Human Resources Director of Star Refrigeration, said, “We are pleased to have been Highly Commended for Diversity Impact at the RAC Cooling Awards and would like to congratulate the Women in RACHP Group and particularly, STEMazing / World Refrigeration Day whose commitment to diversity excellence has been recognised at the awards.”
“Star has a long term commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the business. We strive to create an inclusive environment for all employees, recognising and celebrating the benefits that a diverse workforce brings. We know that by attracting more people from all backgrounds to consider a career in refrigeration, we can offer rewarding careers, improve our competitiveness and strengthen the talent that we attract to the sector”.
Star has pioneered – and is a member of – many national and international initiatives to encourage girls and women into STEM careers. Female employees are part of Women in RACHP, a group established by the Institute of Refrigeration to promote women in the industry, and the STEMazing project, where staff have acted as STEM ambassadors to inspire young people to pursue studies and careers in STEM subjects. Star also provided additional funding support for STEMazing Africa and several other programmes with a global reach such as Glasgow University’s Femeng project.
Additionally, the company has a strong presence in the local community. As well as offering educational sessions in universities and schools and student work opportunities, Star welcomes children and university students to visit its factories and learn about how sustainable refrigeration and heating can help countries achieve net zero targets. Last year, Newton Mearns school children visited Star’s Thornliebank manufacturing facilities to learn about renewable energy and heat.
Within the organisation, Star promotes diverse work opportunities and maintains a positive company culture celebrating diversity and inclusion. The company is working to broaden its recruitment networks, aiming to advertise job and training opportunities to underrepresented groups, as well as offering fast-track engineer training programmes to those leaving the military.
Star Refrigeration has been awarded Platinum and Gold accreditation against the Investors in People (IIP) and the Investors in Young People Standard respectively – a level achieved by only 3% of IIP accredited companies. This recognition highlights the company’s commitment to nurturing talent, particularly when beginning their careers in the refrigeration and heating industry. It is also a testament to Star’s dedication to upholding its core values, which include attracting the best talent, protecting the workforce and their families and retaining staff.
Nadia Rae, said, “There is still work to be done and we are keen to work with others across the industry to achieve greater diversity in the sector. It makes us really proud to have our efforts recognised and Star will continue to work to reduce barriers and promote inclusion throughout the business.”
To find out more about the annual RAC Cooling Awards visit www.coolingawards.racplus.com
To find out more about Star’s people friendly policies and practices visit https://www.star-ref.co.uk/home-page/careers/