Highly commended in CN Specialists awards

Highly commended in CN Specialists awards

VGC was highly commended in the Community Engagement category of the 2020 CN Specialists Awards.

In an online event last night (17 November), Construction News editor Lem Bingley announced the category winner was Mabey Hire’s STEM education programme.

VGC was highly commended.

Our entry described VGC’s ‘Go beyond the gates’ programme, which supports ex-offenders into sustainable employment. Finding work for offenders near to release helps break the cycle of unemployment, homelessness and reoffending. The programme has a lasting positive impact on the people themselves and their local communities.

The judges praised our “highly collaborative approach” and described the scheme as “a very worthwhile and focused mission, addressing a true need for our industry, as well as society”.

The companies shortlisted for the Community Engagement award were:

  • Constructionwisetwo anonymous site workers
  • Erith Contractors
  • Mabey Hire
  • Montel Civil Engineering
  • Munnelly Support Services
  • Natta Building Company
  • VGC Group​.

The Community Engagement award recognises firms that put community engagement at the heart of their business or project. They have gone above and beyond what might have been expected, to provide lasting benefits to the local community.

  • Understanding local issues and challenges
  • Clear initiatives to improve engagement
  • Strong leadership and legacy planning
  • Feedback from the community and stakeholders

Construction News editor Lem Bingley said: “The UK construction sector is a significant pillar of the national economy. It rests on the unique skills of specialist contractors to deliver at every stage, from demolition to topping off. Our shortlisted organisations demonstrate the breadth of capabilities offered by today’s specialists as well as their ability to innovate and diversify, offer additional value to their clients.

The full list of finalists is on the Construction News Specialist Awards website.

Virtual awards event

The awards evening was originally planned for 25 March. After this had to be postponed, the awards were run online using the Swapcard platform.

Before the awards were announced, Bill Hill, chief executive of the Lighthouse Construction industry charity, explained that the construction industry helpline is getting an unprecedented number of calls from workers who are struggling as a result of the pandemic. He described their new Christmas cracker e-card campaign.

Then Bam Construct director Paul Cleminson described how the supply chain helped deliver two NHS Nightingale hospitals. His speech included fascinating footage of the hospital builds.

VGC is also shortlisted for the Construction News Diversity and Inclusion Excellence award. The winners will be announced on 26 November.