As part of Laing O’Rourke’s UK social value strategy, which aims to deliver £2bn of social impact and enrich the lives of 2 million people by 2030, it has launched the Building Opportunities Programme to support individuals facing multiple barriers to employment.
The Building Opportunities Programme was initially piloted on Laing O’Rourke’s recently completed Abraham Moss Library and Leisure Centre Project in Manchester and will now be rolled out to projects around the UK, supporting three further cohorts of people into work. It is aimed at individuals with barriers to employment and is available to prison leavers, carers, veterans, and people with hidden and physical disabilities.
Laing O’Rourke worked with specialist social impact partner, ANTZ, its network partners and community groups over a ten-month period to design a programme that is truly industry leading. The Building Opportunities Programme takes a proactive approach to breaking down employment barriers, directly working with participants to help them identify their personal value and addressing head-on some of the issues that are affecting their ability to get back into work. It goes on to provide longer-term support and mentoring, recognising that not all participants are work-ready on completion of the programme. This long-term view represents a departure from most employability programmes, one that is more practical and person-centric.
The Building Opportunities Programme is set against the backdrop of a report* that reveals in April 2023, 3.8% of the UK’s economically active population was unemployed, with over a fifth (22.1%) being unemployed for more than 12 months and 13.4% unemployed for over two years.
The pilot programme focused on an area of Manchester with high unemployment levels. A group of 15 people undertook a three-week course that included time in real-life working environments, practical employability skills, health and wellbeing support and an insight into the range of roles available in construction with Laing O’Rourke and its supply chain partners.
All 15 participants that completed the course passed their Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) tests, and within a fortnight two participants secured jobs, and continue to remain in employment eight months later.
