The London Highways Academy of Excellence has recently won an award from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association for Inspiring Change in the Community. These awards aim to promote inclusion and diversity in the wider community and are also supported by the Construction Industry Training Board. The award was presented at a reception on 27 January 2016.
Commenting on the awards, CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said: “CECA is proud to present these awards, which show the steps our industry is taking to further fairness, inclusion and respect in workplaces, schools, and wider society I would like to congratulate all of the winners, who were drawn from a field of entrants of exceptionally high quality”.
The citation for the Inspiring Change in the Community award won by the London Highways Academy of Excellence stated: “This ground-breaking pre-apprenticeship programme, developed with contractor FM Conway and the Worshipful Company of Paviors, has genuine equality of opportunity. It attracts candidates from diverse backgrounds, ranging from homelessness to people with first-class civil engineering degrees. Candidates are given structured support to overcome some of the barriers that would otherwise prevent candidates from completing courses. This has led to a high rate of completions, which have subsequently been converted into apprenticeships and other jobs, helping to meet the industry’s future skills requirements.”
More details of the awards are given on the CECA website.