North of England Business Excellence Award for Lean In 2011 First Recruitment Group won the North of England Business Excellence Award for Lean. The Award recognises the best examples of using Lean to maximise customer value whilst minimising waste. Here at First we were particularly proud to receive this award because of its focus on customer value, as this is an area that we pride ourselves on. To learn more about this award please click here Investors In People - Silver First Recruitment Group are accredited as an Investors in People organistion, meeting the requirements needed to gain the Silver standard. Investors in People recognises companies who transform business performance through people. At the heart of Investors in People is the Standard, a framework of best practice that's outcome focused. It ensures that only companies who invest in their people, to get the best out of the business, are give the award. CEO John Urpi commented, “We have always been keen on getting the best out of our staff by giving them the support they need to progress in their careers at First Group. Time and money invested in training for our staff is certainly money well spent.” To learn more about this award please click here ISO 9001 First Recruitment Group were accredited with the ISO 9001 Award. ISO 9001:2008 is the International Standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS). Receiving this accreditation means First Recruitment work to a set of principles that ensure a good approach to the management of our business activities to consistently achieve customer satisfaction. REC First Recruitment Group have full membership with the REC. Membership of the REC means you are dealing with an agency that is - Serious about Standards - REC members sign up to the REC's Code of Professional Practice that provides a set of quality assurances for employers and jobseekers alike. Members with REC Audited status have been independently confirmed as fully compliant with industry regulations and best practice. - Serious about operating ethically - REC members pledge to comply with all relevant legislation, have fair and honest terms of business, actively promote diversity and equal opportunities and respect confidentiality. - Serious about being well informed - REC membership means that recruitment agencies are kept up to date with legislative changes and industry best practice to ensure they can act in the best interests of clients and jobseekers. - Serious about accountability - Should you feel that any REC member does not uphold these standards, you have recourse through the REC complaints and disciplinary procedures which can lead to their expulsion and referral to the DTI for criminal investigation.