Fochabers Fish Bar is the first fish and chip shop to achieve the Investors in Young People Accreditation, the only people management standard that focuses on an employer’s recruitment, development and retention of young people. This represents a true commitment to the training and development of young people and demonstrates Fochabers Fish Bar as an employer of choice for young people.

Launched in July 2014, Investors in Young People originated through a key recommendation from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, led by Sir Ian Wood. The accreditation is offered to all businesses across Scotland and exists to recognise and support organisations across Scotland in the employment of young people.

Having now achieved the accreditation, Fochabers Fish Bar is now eligible to use and display the Investors in Young People logo and plaque, and enjoy its benefits.

Commenting on the award, Owner Darren Boothroyd said, "We are incredibly proud to have achieved the Investors in Young People accreditation. We take great pride in creating careers out of jobs for our young team and gaining this award demonstrates our commitment to the development of our staff and compliments our ongoing work with the Modern Apprenticeship programme”

Peter Russian, Chief Executive of Investors in People Scotland, said "This is a fantastic achievement for Fochabers Fish Bar, and I and the whole IIYP team would like to wholeheartedly congratulate them. The Investors in Young People framework not only recognises and supports organisations in the employment of young people, but marks them out as an employer of choice.I envisage that many more organisations will wish to follow in the footsteps of Fochabers Fish Bar and demonstrate their commitment to young people by working with the Investors in Young People framework.”

He continued: "The benefits of recruiting and developing young people are countless. These include the creation of a talent pool for the future, new and increased skills in areas such as IT and social media, fresh eyes and mind-sets into business operations along with enthusiasm and unique talents.”