Accreditations, Memberships & Frameworks

Ones to Watch is a special status awarded to organisations where workplace engagement shows promising signs for the future. Awarded to organisations with a minimum BCI score of at least 600

Cornerstone Employers are a flagship community of more than 300 businesses across England, working to support careers education at scale in their local region in order to Influence and inspire young people.

The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace. SMS is a Disability Confident Leader (level 3), the highest level of the UK Government scheme, recognising business who show the highest commitments to achieving equality in the workplace.

The Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse is a growing network of large and small businesses with mission is to enable employers to take action on domestic abuse – raising awareness among all employees, supporting those facing domestic abuse, and providing access to services to help perpetrators to stop.

Energy & Utility Skills works with energy suppliers and meter operators from across the gas and power industries on training standards and training programmes for Smart Metering installers. It is a requirement of the Ofgem approved SMICoP (Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice) that Meter Operators use only Smart Meter workers who have received training from an NSAP accredited provider.

The Healthy Working Lives award programme, administered by Public Health Scotland, improves health, safety and wellbeing within organisations in Scotland in a structured and productive way.​

Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard.

Our Training Academy in Bolton is approved by the LCL Awards, a UKAS Accredited Certification Body for the ACS gas scheme and an Ofqual, CCEA and Qualifications Wales recognised Awarding Organisation.

Our commitment to Living Hours provides our employees with stability of hours to meet their everyday needs. The standard has been developed to ensure that people have the predictable working patterns and income to better plan their lives.

Accredited Living Wage employers have been certified by the Living Wage Foundation and are committed to paying all employees at least the “real living wage”. The real living wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs.

SMS is a signatory of the charter for ‘Employers Positive about Mental Health’, which recognises UK employers who are working towards better mental health in the workplace.

The National Skills Academy (NSA) network was established by the Government to address the need for a world-class workforce with better skills than ever before. National Skills Academies are employer-led centres of excellence, delivering the skills required by each sector of the economy.

The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) is an alliance of public, private and voluntary organisations in England who care about suicide prevention and are willing to take individual and collective action to reduce suicide and self-harm, and support those bereaved or affected by suicide.

We are a signatory of the Business in the Community ‘Race at Work Charter’. The charter is for organisations who have made seven key commitments for improving racial equality in the workplace.

The Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment to bring together employers, partners and young people. It aims to connect every 16 to 24 year old in Scotland to an opportunity.