Stainless Metalcraft – Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

Stainless Metalcraft has a long-standing commitment to apprenticeships and workforce development. After two unsuccessful applications for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the company appointed Encore to review the process and support a third submission.

The objective was to secure national recognition for Metalcraft’s apprenticeship programme and long-term investment in skills.

• QAE nominations require a significant investment in time and resources and are assessed against extremely high success criteria
• Two previous unsuccessful submissions suggested positioning and narrative weaknesses rather than a lack of impact
• Metalcraft’s achievements were not being translated into a compelling national-level story
• The submission needed to demonstrate scale, relevance and socio-economic impact beyond local success

We reframed the application as a strategic storytelling and evidence-building exercise.

This included:

• Reviewing award criteria alongside Metalcraft’s previous submissions to assess win potential  and identify narrative gaps
• Compiling a structured list of data, proof points and impact metrics required to strengthen the  application
• Researching local, national and industry-level demographics to set Metalcraft’s story within a wider macro-economic and social context
• Developing an overarching narrative that elevated the programme from good practice to national relevance
• Conducting interviews with internal leaders, apprentices and third parties to strengthen the human dimension of the story
• Preparing the team for the assessment visit, including anticipated evidence requests and narrative alignment across spokespeople

• Queen’s Award for Enterprise secured at the third attempt
• National recognition for leadership in workforce development
• Enhanced credibility with stakeholders, partners and future talent
• Validation of long-term investment in apprenticeships and skills.