GTEC wins the Inclusivity trophy at LCL Awards’ awards event
18 Jul 2025
GTEC, based in North Yorkshire, provides training courses in renewable technologies with state-of-the-art facilities designed and equipped to accommodate all. The company, based in GTEC House, Hawes, won the Inclusivity Award at our recent presentation event at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole and is thrilled to have its efforts in this area recognised.
Our panel of industry judges was impressed with GTEC’s provision of enhanced learning experiences for all their learners, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, neurodiversity, or disability and felt that their entry was particularly strong because it outlined specific inclusivity initiatives, demonstrating “a true level of understanding of inclusivity.”
Hattie Hasan, lead judge in this category, was unable to attend the event in person but recorded a message congratulating GTEC on their achievement. In Hattie’s absence, the award was presented by Amanda Tyrell, LCL Awards’ Administration Manager, who has supported GTEC since they became an LCL Awards approved centre in 2007.
We caught up with Sam Graham, GTEC’s Head of Operations who was at the event to accept the award, along with his colleagues Griff and Tracey Thomas and Lisa Jones-Hill, to find out what they’re doing to make learners and staff alike feel supported.
LCL Awards: Congratulations Sam on winning this award. In which ways does GTEC foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all learners and staff?
Sam: At GTEC, we are fully committed to an inclusive culture, with tailored support for diverse learners. Our facilities feature accessible and specialized resources for individuals with disabilities, to give everyone the opportunity to excel on our renewable energy training programs.
We actively promote and encourage the participation of women in the renewables sector, challenging gender norms and supporting career pathways for females entering what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. We are supported in this by our parent company, United Living, that runs a United Women Network, supporting initiatives encouraging women to thrive in industries like construction and renewables.
With our sights on training the next generation of installers, we have built a residential area where college students can be housed for the duration of their course - with full sleeping accommodation. They have access to a large kitchen and there are responsible adults on-hand to facilitate and ensure everyone is safe. We can also help our learners access funding through government support schemes, which makes up-skilling more affordable.
We recognise the benefits that diversity brings and have initiatives in place that enrich our community and foster a sense of belonging and cultural awareness amongst candidates and staff. Our Culture Celebration Calendar is a good example of this.
We are delighted to have won the Inclusivity Award as our team has been working hard to encourage a greater range of learners and we’ve made significant improvements to the centre and our training provision to ensure we can offer the very best training and a warm welcome to all.
If you would like to find out more about LCL Awards Inclusivity Charter and the benefits it brings, please click here. GTEC was awarded the charter in July 2023.
GTEC, based in North Yorkshire, provides training courses in renewable technologies with state-of-the-art facilities designed and equipped to accommodate all. The company, based in GTEC House, Hawes, won the Inclusivity Award at our recent presentation event at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole and is thrilled to have its efforts in this area recognised.
Our panel of industry judges was impressed with GTEC’s provision of enhanced learning experiences for all their learners, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, neurodiversity, or disability and felt that their entry was particularly strong because it outlined specific inclusivity initiatives, demonstrating “a true level of understanding of inclusivity.”
Hattie Hasan, lead judge in this category, was unable to attend the event in person but recorded a message congratulating GTEC on their achievement. In Hattie’s absence, the award was presented by Amanda Tyrell, LCL Awards’ Administration Manager, who has supported GTEC since they became an LCL Awards approved centre in 2007.
We caught up with Sam Graham, GTEC’s Head of Operations who was at the event to accept the award, along with his colleagues Griff and Tracey Thomas and Lisa Jones-Hill, to find out what they’re doing to make learners and staff alike feel supported.
LCL Awards: Congratulations Sam on winning this award. In which ways does GTEC foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all learners and staff?
Sam: At GTEC, we are fully committed to an inclusive culture, with tailored support for diverse learners. Our facilities feature accessible and specialized resources for individuals with disabilities, to give everyone the opportunity to excel on our renewable energy training programs.
We actively promote and encourage the participation of women in the renewables sector, challenging gender norms and supporting career pathways for females entering what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. We are supported in this by our parent company, United Living, that runs a United Women Network, supporting initiatives encouraging women to thrive in industries like construction and renewables.
With our sights on training the next generation of installers, we have built a residential area where college students can be housed for the duration of their course - with full sleeping accommodation. They have access to a large kitchen and there are responsible adults on-hand to facilitate and ensure everyone is safe. We can also help our learners access funding through government support schemes, which makes up-skilling more affordable.
We recognise the benefits that diversity brings and have initiatives in place that enrich our community and foster a sense of belonging and cultural awareness amongst candidates and staff. Our Culture Celebration Calendar is a good example of this.
We are delighted to have won the Inclusivity Award as our team has been working hard to encourage a greater range of learners and we’ve made significant improvements to the centre and our training provision to ensure we can offer the very best training and a warm welcome to all.
If you would like to find out more about LCL Awards Inclusivity Charter and the benefits it brings, please click here. GTEC was awarded the charter in July 2023.