1 August 2022
How HS2 is “upskilling the next generation” of female engineers
Three phases of HS2 are now officially underway, with 170 miles of new high-speed railway under construction between London and Crewe. Europe’s biggest infrastructure project has so far supported an enormous 25,000 jobs, but it’s also opened up a world of opportunities for those hoping to break into the industry. According to the HS2
6 July 2022
VGC wins at HS2 Awards
On 4 July 2022, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ciara Pryce, Chris Ryan and Kimberley McGinty were presented with the HS2 Inspiration Award for modern slavery prevention at the House of Commons. The People Legacy Inspiration Awards celebrates the work that the supply chain is doing in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), skill employment, and education (SEE),
5 July 2022
Civil engineering sector on the up – experts identify positive signs of growth
The last few years have proved enormously challenging for many UK sectors, in the wake of Covid-19 and its hard-hitting economic impact. Civil engineering faced its fair share of setbacks, including the suspension of engineering sites across the country during multiple pandemic lockdowns. This inevitably affected growth, which dropped by a worrying 15% during 2020.
5 July 2022
Work starts on Northamptonshire green landscaping tunnel for HS2
Construction has officially started in Northamptonshire on a green tunnel to minimise HS2’s impact on the surrounding landscape. The ambitious project is the very first of its kind in the UK, with construction works expected to last around three years. During this time, the project is expected to generate and support a number of UK
22 June 2022
SCS Supply Chain Enterprise Academy
On 15 June, VGC hosted the SCS Supply Chain Enterprise Academy at Hazelwood Community Centre for SCS. We welcomed over 50 people from SME’s in the SCS supply chain, delivering sessions on SEE, EDI, leadership and collaboration, our CSR programme, and modern slavery. Andrew Spencer, Head of Procurement & Supply Chain for Skanska, began the
1 June 2022
Thames Tideway Tunnel celebrates engineering feat with special live performance
To mark the completion of tunnelling work on London’s huge new ‘Super Sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel project has hosted a special live music performance over 70 metres underground. The Thames Tideway Tunnel aims to build a major new 25km sewer underneath the river Thames. The capital currently relies on a sewer system that is over
16 May 2022
My week of work experience at VGC
Thomas has just completed his week of work experience at our head office in Ruislip. He writes: While I have been at VGC this week I have helped in most of the departments in the company, such as IT, Health and Safety, Labour, Recruitment, Projects and even went on site
6 May 2022
Future of Work in Construction Conference 2022
On 4 May, I attended the ‘Future of Work in Construction’ conference at the ExCeL Centre in London. Mark Thurston, Chief Executive Officer of HS2 opened with a keynote address, ‘building back better and equal.’ He explored the meaning behind the motto, ‘I care, you count, we matter,’ and emphasised that we have a rare
28 April 2022
VGC sends donations to Ukraine
VGC has been fundraising in order to provide urgent supplies to those most affected by the war in Ukraine. This month, we transported goods to 3 charities thanks to the donations of staff and suppliers alike. We received generous donations from staff in our head office in Ruislip as well as Solihull. Alongside this, we
4 April 2022
Diversity-in-Construction initiative held in Leeds to mark IWD 2022
A pilot initiative to encourage more female school students to consider careers in construction was held in Leeds to mark International Women’s Day 2022. The event on 8th March was hosted by Leeds College of Building at its North Street Campus, and attended by the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracey Brabin. Female pupils aged
4 April 2022
How can engineering fix its staff retention problem?
Like many other industries right now, the engineering sector is struggling with a skills shortage in the wake of Covid-19. This is a problem that has been steadily growing for many years, but the pandemic seems to have brought it to a head. Research from the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) found that
22 March 2022
Buried Services - VGC Group
VGC have announced their annual health and safety week focusing on raising awareness of Buried Services. This week, VGC are shining a spotlight on our HSQE team and their Buried Services campaign. We want to raise awareness around buried services, with the goal being to encourage our workforce to STOP when things
