Supporting people to progress in their careers is at the heart of GRAHAM’s commitment to creating lasting social value. Through a new initiative on our Dyecoats and Brewery Gardens projects, the business has helped 20 entry-level workers take an important step towards becoming fully skilled construction professionals.
The two residential developments, being delivered for Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, are located in Leeds, where the Dyecoats regeneration scheme will deliver up to 1,600 new homes, and in Manchester, where the Brewery Gardens scheme is delivering 505 new homes, including the first social rent homes built in Manchester city centre in 40 years.
Many entry-level site-based workers can spend years moving from project to project without gaining the qualifications needed to progress. As a result, many leave site with a Green CSCS Card rather than achieving a Blue Skilled Worker Card, limiting career opportunities and earning potential.
To address this challenge, GRAHAM hosted on-site skills drop-in sessions across both projects, inviting the entire workforce to learn more about NVQ Level 2 opportunities. Supply chain partners were also encouraged to identify and nominate individuals who would benefit from the programme.
As a result, 10 people from each project were enrolled, with 10 participants already successfully completing their NVQ Level 2 qualification, five at Boddingtons and five at Dyecoats. Impressively, the journey from securing funding to delegates receiving their certificates took just eight weeks.
A key feature of the initiative is GRAHAM’s decision to bridge the funding gap that can often prevent workers from accessing qualifications. While the CITB grant supports £600 of the NVQ Level 2 cost, the qualification costs £800. GRAHAM covered the remaining £200 per candidate, ensuring the opportunity was accessible to those who may otherwise have missed out.
Commenting on the initiative, Helen Francis, Skills Solutions Group Director, said:
GRAHAM is demonstrating genuine commitment to workforce development by becoming the first contractor we have partnered with to bridge the CITB grant funding shortfall. This investment removes a significant barrier to upskilling, enabling more operatives to gain nationally recognised NVQ qualifications while supporting long-term competency, safety and career progression across the workforce.
We are proud to be working alongside GRAHAM in setting a positive and leading example for the wider industry.
Stephen Van Den Hoek, Regional Director at GRAHAM, said:
We recognised that many hardworking people across our projects have the experience and capability to become fully skilled workers, but often lack the support or funding needed to gain the qualification. By investing in NVQ Level 2 training, we are helping individuals unlock new career opportunities, improve their earning potential and gain recognition for the skills they already demonstrate every day.
We are proud to play a role in helping people achieve qualifications that can have a lasting impact on their futures.
This initiative delivers benefits far beyond the individuals gaining qualifications. By investing in NVQ Level 2 training and working closely with supply chain partners, GRAHAM is creating meaningful career progression opportunities, improving earning potential and recognising existing skills. In doing so, the business is helping to build a more skilled, productive and sustainable workforce for the future.
It also reflects the strength of GRAHAM’s partnership with Latimer, for whom delivering social value is a core requirement across its development programme, demonstrating the tangible outcomes that kind of partnership can produce for communities across the UK.