Town company short listed for Employer of Year RNIB award

LOUGHBOROUGH fuel cell engineering company has been shortlisted for an RNIB See Differently Award in recognition of their work in creating an accessible work environment for employees with sight loss.

Intelligent Energy from Loughborough has been shortlisted in the Employer of the Year category.

The Employer of the Year Award recognises employers recruiting and retaining blind and partially sighted people, and who have supportive policies and practices that create space for the broad range of skills and talent brought to the workplace by blind and partially sighted people.

Since September 2013, the company has been supporting employee Jesse Dufton, who is visually impaired. He first joined the organisation as part of a trainee graduate scheme, and with the training and support provided over the past six years, Jesse has moved his way up in the company and is now Intelligent Energy’s principal patent engineer.

The company has made it a priority for IT adaptations to be put in place for Jesse, and that documents are always created in an accessible format ahead of meetings, demonstrating the simple steps that can be taken to create an accessible working environment.

In relation to being shortlisted, Lauren Gurney, HR Director at Intelligent Energy, said: “It means an awful lot to have been shortlisted for an RNIB See Differently Award.

“For us, the provisions we’ve put in place for Jesse have been business as usual, but we’re delighted that the support has allowed him to carry out his day to day tasks to the best of his ability.”

The award winners will be announced at a ceremony which will take place at the Glaziers Hall, London Bridge on November 26.