Fareham: Queen's Award goes to UK aerospace and defence recruiters Protec

Recruitment and staffing company Protec Technical (Protec) has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise - the UK’s highest accolade for business success.

The Fareham-based firm, which supplies technical, skilled staff to aerospace, defence, engineering and construction industries worldwide, has received the award in the International Trade category in recognition of having achieved increased year-on-year export figures by placing contractor staff abroad.

“We are delighted to be a recipient of this prestigious award,” said Martyn Smith, Protec’s director of aircraft maintenance. “As a small firm with only 15 staff, we are extremely proud that we are able to help skilled people (mostly British), earn money from working in mainland Europe and worldwide destinations such as Africa, the Middle East and even Mongolia.

“Protec’s people believe very strongly in the work we do, and knowing that we not only make a difference to people’s lives, but also help to boost the UK economy, is very humbling.”

In addition to its overseas placements, Protec provides permanent, technical, skilled staff and contractors to the mainstream UK market in the aerospace, defence, engineering and construction industries.

Protec will be receiving the award from Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan DCVO JP, in the summer. Representatives of the company will also attend an official reception at Buckingham Palace in July.

To qualify for the award, the company was required to meet a number of criteria including achieving substantial growth in overseas earnings, sustained over three years or more; as well as continuous growth in overseas earnings, sustained over six years or more.

Protec was established in 2003 and will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. “Earning this award in a landmark year for our business is very significant for us,” said managing director, Mark Bishop. “It proves that we are on the right track in terms of our business growth strategy and customer focus.”

The company also qualified for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, which is a worldwide investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to education, financial capital and business support services.