7 February 2018
VGC achieves Ethical Labour Standard
VGC is the first labour supply company in the UK to achieve the new Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard (BES 6002:2017). VGC is also the first company in the rail sector, and one of just three companies to date, to attain the Ethical Labour Standard (ELS). The audit report said: “As one of the largest labour and
7 February 2018
Women in Construction group - our first meeting
Ciara writes: Our initial Women in Construction group meeting yesterday morning went extremely well. We were delighted that our chairman, Sean Fitzpatrick, joined us for the start of the meeting. He reaffirmed that we have senior level board support for the group and looks forward to seeing the improvements that we expect as a result
6 February 2018
Women in construction champion - a busy winter
Kim writes: It’s been a busy winter so far, and it’s going to get even busier. Since my last blog, I have met more people about taking my Women in construction programme into schools, as well as working with BuildForce UK and Fairness, Inclusion and Respect in Construction. Diversity training I’ve been fortunate to go
5 February 2018
Toolbox talks on fairness, inclusion and respect
Richard writes about delivering toolbox talks on language to workers on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme.
29 January 2018
A14 supply chain award
VGC is part of the team which was recognised at the A14 Supply Chain awards on 12 January. The integrated labour team was presented with the Innovation award. Supply chain partners VGC Group, Reliable Contractors, Danny Sullivan Group and Hercules Site Services operate as an integrated labour team (ILT), which supplies appropriate labour resources to
22 January 2018
A14 stand-down day
Ben writes: I attended an excellent stand-down day on the A14 in December. The event was held at the IWM Duxford RAF War Museum. There were two briefings of around four hours each, with the day split into two halves to reduce the numbers inside the museum. The start of the briefing was a message from
8 January 2018
Energy-saving result
Richard writes: Recent energy usage initiatives have resulted in savings to VGC. These savings represent money, and also a smaller carbon footprint. And they support our ISO50001 Energy Management accreditation. Electricity Our total electricity usage for 2017 was slightly up over 2016 – however, we have had an increase in staff numbers in the offices.
3 January 2018
Finance blog
Sam writes: I’ve just been on a very interesting course on the future of finance leadership run by CIMA (the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). The traditional view of a finance department is that they are gatekeepers and “just exist to make spreadsheets”. People assume we’re inward-looking, with a set of rules that we impose
20 December 2017
Thank you for 2017 work
Ciara writes: On behalf of the shareholders and directors of the VGC Group, Sean, Laurence and I would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone at VGC for your hard work in 2017. Despite early challenges in the year such as the loss of the rail delivery fleet, we have had another successful year,
15 December 2017
December 2017 company update
At this month’s staff meeting the senior directors looked back at a very successful 2017. Our chairman, Sean Fitzpatrick, thanked everyone for their contributions to the year. He pointed out that everyone’s individual contribution is part of our shared success. The 2017 budgeted sales figure of £76 million was a huge challenge, and it’s remarkable
11 December 2017
FIR commitment: 'Better for Everyone'
VGC is one of the contractors calling on the construction industry to take a stand on fairness, inclusion and respect (FIR). VGC is proud to be one of the initial 36 signatories to the FIR commitment ‘Better for Everyone’ campaign, which launched this week. With an unprecedented number of infrastructure projects in the pipeline, the
4 December 2017
A busy December for VGC teams
John writes: December is going to be busy for my teams in the Midlands, working on a number of projects for client Siemens. Blackpool to Manchester NWEP At the moment, people are working round the clock in Blackpool and Manchester. The three-month blockade on the Blackpool to Manchester NWEP (north west electrification project) started in
