The Sunday Times 'Best Companies' awards Impact its Three Star Accreditation

- Top employee award presented to Impact for its exceptional people strategy and 'Workplace Engagement'

- Follows string of awards including 'FT UK Top 50 Best Workplaces' and Business in the Community's 'Impact on Society Award'

The pioneering training company, Impact - leader in people development programmes to create and lead sustainable enterprises - has achieved 'Best Companies' Three Star Accreditation Status for 2008. As the name behind The Sunday Times 'Best Companies to Work For', Best Companies Accreditation recognises organisations that promote 'Workplace Engagement' as an integral component of their success and growth, and the key to sustainable business performance. Impact achieved the top level of this Michelin-style, elite accreditation award.

This latest accreditation follows a number of top industry awards for Impact in 2007. These include the 'National Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in the North West', BITC's 'Impact on Society Award' and the company was named as one of the Financial Times' UK Top 50 Best Workplaces. Impact's new Three Star Status endorses the company's pioneering work in developing innovative and bespoke development programmes that helps create sustainable enterprises.

We are delighted with our Three Star Accreditation Status for 2008, comments Andy Dickson, Head of Impact UK. It has become the benchmark we use to meet very high internal expectations. We are committed to making Impact the best choice for our people, as well as our customers. Delivering on this ambition for our employees takes real investment and requires the business to view our people strategy as business-critical. We are dedicated to making Impact a model of a sustainable enterprise by ensuring that we have the best people all pulling together. This is precisely the approach that we feel other organisations should be taking because it has genuine business benefits.

The Three Star Best Companies Accreditation recognises Impact's 'extraordinary' workplace engagement practices, including exceptional motivation, inspiration and staff retention levels. Impact is a prime example of its own sustainable business model that centres on its People, Planet, Profit ethos. This company philosophy enables enhanced business performance while accelerating positive social change, improved workplace engagement and protecting and preserving environmental integrity.