Ace Bermuda is the first company on the island to achieve the Silver status with the globally recognised business development programme, Investors in People.At an employee reception yesterday at their headquarters, Premier Paula Cox presented the company with the IIP certificate.“I want to commend you on your achievement which is a reflection of the hard work and diligence of all of you,” said Premier Cox.Launched in the UK in 1991, the Investors in People employee development standard was created in collaboration with the UK government’s National Training Task Force and leading businesses. Today, the framework has licences in 20 countries worldwide and was incorporated here in Bermuda in 2000.Ace Bermuda was first assessed by IIP and achieved the programme’s standard certification in 2004 and again in 2008. In 2011, the 200-employee strong company has been awarded the “Beyond the Standard” Silver certificate.“The assessment consistently confirmed Ace’s commitment to the provision of formal and informal learning and recognised it as something that we do well at Ace both in terms of personal and professional development,” said Samantha Froud, chief administration officer of Ace Bermuda. “We already follow these best practices in our daily operations. The Investors in People certification simply confirms what we are doing already and keeps us accountable to an international standard.”Companies looking to be recognised and certified by the IIP programme must demonstrate 39 “evidence requirements” spread across ten categories ranging from leadership and people management to performance measurement and management effectiveness.From there, IIP offers three additional levels to celebrate further achievement, including the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels where companies have to demonstrate an additional 26, 76 and 126 evidence requirements, respectively.International assessors based in the UK came to Bermuda for three days to interview 32 randomly selected Ace employees across all levels to determine whether the company qualified for the Silver status. The IIP representatives then put forth a recommendation report to their recognition panel for a decision.According to Ms Jocene Wade, Bermuda IIP’s co-coordinator and licence holder, there are 14 companies on the island, including Ace, that are certified Investors in People at the Standard level. Ace is the only company in Bermuda to achieve the Silver status.“What an outstanding accomplishment to display 76 additional evidence requirements to gain this high status which underlines the commitment and dedication of the leaders of this company,” she said. “It is particularly pleasing to see the consistency with which Ace Group ensures equality of employment and drives skills development across all levels of employment to demonstrate that each and every member of staff is valued.”