4 May 2018
Shortlisted for CECA Inspiring Change awards
We are shortlisted in two categories for the CECA Inspiring Change awards. VGC Group has been shortlisted for the Inspiring Change Award (workplace category) and Kimberley McGinty, skills and employment adviser, for the individual inspiration award. (The photograph shows Kim delivering a fairness, inclusion and respect session to some of our key influencers.) Supporting diversity
27 April 2018
My work experience at VGC
Maddy writes: I have just finished a week of work experience at VGC’s head office in Ruislip. I go to Bishop Ramsey School and am in year 10. Everyone in my year group had to complete work experience and I was struggling to find a placement. VGC reached out to my school and after I
26 April 2018
Employability event at Brixton prison
Kim writes: I went to prison last week. Tideway West invited VGC to join them at an employability skills event run by Key4Life at Brixton prison on Tuesday 17 April. Labour manager Donatus Jausicas and I were pleased to attend. Key4Life’s mission is to reduce youth reoffending. They deliver rehabilitation programmes to those in prison
18 April 2018
ELS presentation at the House of Lords
John writes: I spoke at the House of Lords yesterday about our achievement of the Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard. Baroness Young of Hornsey hosted the reception at the House of Lords to mark the launch of ELS online, a digital tool to help companies to achieve the Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard (ELS). I was delighted to
11 April 2018
VGC's rising star Charlie
Charlie Passingham used to struggle to get out of bed. Now he’s a VGC traffic marshal with a bright future ahead of him. Charlie has Asperger’s and was suffering from suffocating panic attacks until MENCAP helped him with coping strategies. He’d always wanted to be a builder, so after a two-day taster at Barking and
27 March 2018
Successful NVQs for five apprentices
Congratulations to five of our apprentices on their successful NVQ qualifications. Daniel Smith, David Williams Sarpong, Daniel Pang, Arsalan Aleem and Josiah Narkwa recently completed their Level 2 NVQ Diplomas in Railway Engineering. The apprentices signed up with labour manager Nick Wells after he visited them at the College of North East London (CONEL). Before
16 March 2018
Welcome to Lemos, our latest apprentice
Lemos Pereria has started his apprenticeship on the A14. Lemos (on the right in the photo, next to key influencer Rishi Khera) has joined our trail-blazer apprenticeship programme. He started on 16 March as a general operative, and VGC will enrol him on an NVQ in highways maintenance engineering. The A14 IDT (integrated delivery team)
13 March 2018
Pay arrangements for Easter 2018
VGC’s offices will be closed from the evening of Thursday 29 March until 08:30 on Tuesday 3 April. Pay arrangments for Easter: For hours worked during the week between Saturday 17 March and Sunday 25 March: Wages will be processed on Tuesday 27 March. We will credit your account on Thursday 29 March 2018. For
12 March 2018
Crowdfunding helped Joe into work with VGC
Joe is working in his first job since 2003, for VGC Group on the Northern Line extension. For over a decade, Joe was homeless. He slept in hostels and on friends’ sofas – and sometimes on the streets. Until last year when he underwent treatment, Joe also struggled with addictions. In August 2017 he joined Beam,
8 March 2018
Women in VGC network launch
Our Women in VGC network launched on International Women’s Day. The meeting, at Cardinal House, saw an excellent turnout of VGC women, with a number of male supporters. Everyone has a voice In his welcome, MD Laurence Mckidd stated that diversity and ethical behaviour are part of being a fair and reasonable business. Everyone has
5 March 2018
Excellent Inspire Me workshop
Zena writes: Last Thursday I attended the first Inspire Me workshop. VGC is proud to be an official supporter of the campaign. Most of the workshop attendees were women: a refreshing reverse of the normal gender balance at construction events. Everyone had made a tremendous effort to overcome the weather to attend, and there were very few
14 February 2018
Why VGC is supporting the ‘Inspire Me’ campaign
Why has VGC become a supporter of ‘Inspire Me’? We know our industry is facing a skills shortage, exacerbated by Brexit and an ageing workforce. Arcadis research suggests that British construction must recruit over 400,000 people every year between now and 2021 to meet its needs. Women make up more than half the UK population. But
