AN organisation dedicated to support pupils to achieve their potential have been shortlisted for a leading award.

Education Business Partnership, based on Bradshawgate, was formed in 2007 by Simon Foster, the managing director, with a £1,000 loan from his family. Now it is a finalist in the 2017 Greater Manchester Skills for Business Awards.

The Education Training Partnership was originally founded to support pupils in schools around Bolton who were struggling to cope with a full-time education and in the 2016/17 academic year organised over 2500 industrial placement days for school aged children throughout Greater Manchester.

Mr Foster said: “My team of seven staff consistently punch above their weight and we have taken the establishment head on.

“We have a first-class reputation within Greater Manchester and have an enviable track record of motivating young people, providing effective Information, Advice and Guidance and assisting young people to become economically active.

“This nomination is a testament to all the hard work and dedication of my team and will hopefully build on our award in 2016 as the winner of the Micro Business of the year which was awarded to us by the Federation of Small Businesses’ in November 2016.

“We are up against some huge organisations for the award including Manchester University and Salford City College and just to be mentioned in the same breath as these organisations is a huge compliment.”

He added: “We are the preferred provider of Work Experience for schools in Bolton and building on this we have developed links with many of the secondary schools within Greater Manchester.

“We operate an Ofsted inspected alternative curriculum model to assist with 14-16-year-old pupils who are at risk of becoming disaffected from mainstream education which supports young pupils and prevents them from being expelled from schools.

“Engagement of young people is our passion and it is what we as an organisation excel at.”

Mr Foster, who himself left school with no formal qualifications, added: “The credibility and success of our work in this area comes from having senior team members, who have personally overcome many of the barriers that the young people we support face.

“We have walked in similar shoes and would not be where we are today without the support and belief we benefited from.”

The Skills for Business Awards finals will be held at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on November 30.