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Rydon has practiced responsibility as a corporate citizen since the company was established in 1978. The company's values and ethics, based on a respect for individuals and for the environment, have been rooted in our company since long before the modern-day concept of Corporate Social Responsibility became significant. In keeping with the times, we have moved towards a more conscious approach to our corporate responsibilities that allows us to report with confidence on our standards and performance on all aspects of our behavior.

Within the North London Region, we are committed to understanding, measuring and improving on all possible aspects of our work and practices, that have an impact on those people and places with whom we engage.

To this end we have formed an invaluable link with a local school, City of London Academy, to offer young people work experience placements within our team.

Here is an example of just one of those placements, written by a student who recently completed one week's Work Experience with the Repairs Team.

Name: Idris Faseasan
Age: 16
School: City of London Academy, Islington, N1

MONDAY
My first day didn't start too well because I got lost, trying to find the office. This made me late and so I was really nervous walking in once I had finally found it. There was no need to worry though as I was introduced to a man called Aidan who was one of the Managers, he put me at ease. We sat at his desk and had a chat about what Rydon did and what kind of things I would be doing. He also took the trouble to ask me questions about me, like my hobbies and what I wanted to do for a job, which I thought was nice and made me less nervous.

I got introduced to the office team and then had to fill out what seems like lots of paperwork - they call it an induction. I was given some uniform which really made me feel a part of the team and before I knew it, I was being collected by an operative called Leroy. My first job with Leroy was to repair a window that had been smashed. Leroy had already collected the piece of glass so we went straight to the tenant's house. There was a piece of board covering the smashed window which I helped Leroy take out, then Leroy fitted the new piece of glass and explained to me what he was doing, whilst he was doing it.

TUESDAY
When I came to the office at 8am on Tuesday I was sent straight out with an operative called Keith. Our first job was to repair a front door step. I was a bit nervous at first as I had never done anything like this before, but Keith put me at ease and showed me the ropes - he got me very involved in the job. It took a few hours but soon the job was complete.

We moved straight on to our next appointment, fitting a new window. I felt a bit more confident on this as I had been with Leroy on a similar job the day before.

After lunch, I went out with Chris who is a plumber. We were sent to a job to trace a leak from a bathroom. Chris explained the process he goes through of trying to identify the leak. He found it very quickly, and I was impressed by his knowledge of the job.

WEDNESDAY
My third day was probably my most enjoyable day of the experience. I was paired up with an operative called Tim, who is a plasterer. Tim was very helpful and patient with me and explained about how to mix the plaster correctly etc. He let me help him prepare the area with dust sheets, which is very important for a messy job like this in someone's house.

Tim then showed me the basics on putting the plaster on the wall (he called it skimming), I really enjoyed this - Tim said I was a natural.

THURSDAY
My fourth day was spent with an operative called Steve, unfortunately his morning job got cancelled at the last minute by the tenant so we went to help another guy called Peter take a scaffold tower down. Steve then had to do some scaffold safety inspections and explained the process to me as we were doing them and then he took me for lunch at the local café (and paid for me).

We spent the day doing more scaffold safety inspections, ensuring all scaffolding was safe and secure.

FRIDAY
My last day at Rydon started with a Tool Box Talk. This is a kind of safety meeting - today's talk was on manual handling and it was very interesting. The staff then had a general discussion which was very open and intense. All the staff were given an opportunity to talk about issues they had. After the meeting I went back out with Tim the plasterer. We spent the day completing a decorating job (which was quite relaxing).

Overall I have enjoyed my Rydon experience very much. Everybody I met was very caring and nice towards me. I would definitely jump at the chance at Rydon again, if I was ever given the opportunity.

Thanks to everyone who helped me during my week.

"Work Experience is an excellent opportunity to help young people learn about the world of work. It offers students the opportunity to demonstrate and apply the knowledge and skills gained in academic studies to the real world. Students can use work experience to enhance their CV and improve their career prospects. Work experience at Rydon provided our students with an insight into the world of maintenance. Rydon have helped shape the future careers of the young people at the city of London Academy Islington, and we look forward to working with them on future projects. We cannot offer young people work experience without the generosity and input of employers. Students at the City of London Academy have shown an improvement in confidence and ability to communicate effectively as a result of the partnership." Margaret Ogebule, Enterprise and Community Development Officer, City of London Academy