Economy

We understand quite clearly that our presence in any region or area should generate some short and long-term benefit to the local economy. There are many ways in which we try to ensure that this happens and these range from ensuring that our site canteen and staff are buying from and using local shops and trade, to sourcing and dealing with local suppliers of building materials. Perhaps the most important and the most rewarding, however, is the opportunity which we can provide, either directly or through our supply chain for local individuals to gain employment on the scheme that takes us to their neighbourhood.

Whilst many contracts these days incorporate a degree of local employment as part of the legal planning requirements under the Section 106 agreements, we see the opportunity of providing this as an important key in the development of positive long-term relationships with the neighbourhood and of better integrating our work and out business into the local community.

Rydon is a member of the Prince's Trust's Construction and Business Services Leadership Group providing opportunities for young people, often those marginalised from mainstream society, to find employment and stability within the construction industry. You can read about our work with the Prince's Trust and see a video of the Get Into Construction programme that we ran for them by clicking here.

As way of demonstration of the various ways we support the local community we have engaged a number of initiatives including;

Local Suppliers and Contractors - We have worked on a number of London schemes where we have actively gone out to meet the local suppliers and contractors to evaluate the services they could supply to a scheme. Following an initial meeting and assessment, we will then provide the suppliers and contractors with an opportunity to tender for the works.

As examples, at two large schemes at, Packington Estate, Islington and at Chalcots Estate, Camden, we used the "icam supply" directory to identify potential local suppliers and contractors. This is a local directory of construction consultants, contractors and suppliers produced by the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden, to promote the services of local companies. During these projects and other local schemes we regularly used the directory to provide companies with opportunities to price. On a number of occasions these opportunities provided work for the contracts and Rydon an opportunity to establish new relationships. On our scheme at Pepys Estate in Deptford this proved very successful for a local scaffold contractor "Access" who have now worked for us on a number of additional schemes and have expanded considerably during this time.

Engaging the community in trade taster days - The taster days provide the local community with an opportunity to come and see what the trades do, try out the skill for themselves and speak to the operatives on training opportunities both on the job and through college. These days have proved very successful on a number of inner London projects and provided a number of apprenticeships and opportunities to the community. We use local contractors on these initiatives with a view to providing ongoing work opportunity when our particular contract is completed.

At Grove and Hyde Estates in Islington one of the trade taster days provided two of the local residents with apprenticeships and another with a college opportunity. Rydon also employed one of the residents as a trainee Finishing Manager. She has subsequently moved onto another scheme in London.

Local labour initiatives - Rydon has worked with a number of local labour providers to utilise the skills in the area for a number of roles on site. These roles vary from labourers and forklift drivers through to Resident Liaison Officers (RLOs) and Site Managers. On a number of our Inner London projects we have employed people from the estates to work as RLOs. They understand the local issues and can help the community directly through their role. This has proved so successful that many of our RLOs have remained at Rydon and have moved with us from scheme to scheme assisting other communities through their experience.

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