SOCIAL VALUE
and we would happily share our insights if it meant more people could take part in a placement like Nick’s. He is now a role model both for younger people, and employers, who are actively searching to give those opportunities. It’s positive too to see more ward staff moving into hospital Estate teams, which I think is really important, and shows that progress is happening. Wherever possible, we should be working on projects in a way that utilises first-hand experience; while designers and architects can do their research and hold engagement sessions, encouraging placement opportunities is an invaluable resource. Any construction company should arguably be well geared up to offer these initiatives. In many cases, it’s not about an unwillingness to do so, but rather a lack of awareness of the benefits it brings.
Championing a holistic approach While our approach aims to refocus the narrative on the lives of those we’ve helped, our commitment has extended beyond working with Nick, as we also appreciate that results are a key criterion upon which projects are measured. The input from our organisation alone on the project has generated £3.2 m in social value – but the impact from the whole scheme is much larger, as detailed in a recent SCAPE report, Social value in construction 2023, which detailed £1.08 bn of social value generated between 2021 and 2022.
An important focus area for projects is local recruitment choices, which can
Allana Shaw
Allana Shaw, Associate director and Social Value lead at multidisciplinary property and construction consultancy, EDGE, joined the business in March 2021 as a senior Cost manager specialising in the health and social care sector with a focus on NHS Trust project delivery. She previously spent five years with Faithful + Gould (now part of AtkinsRealis) in quantity surveying roles, working on projects within the residential and health sectors, including care homes.
Allana has extensive experience in the public sector, and has been actively involved in supporting charity organisations for many years – utilising and incorporating this insight into her role within the health and social care sector. Shortly after joining EDGE, she was appointed to lead on social value within the business, looking at opportunities that enable EDGE to make a positive difference. She has been fundamental in providing education and training within the business and to wider stakeholders, together with overseeing bids and adding social value across the delivery of its projects.
THE NETWORK | FEBRUARY 2024 37
help to to boost the economy within communities, while also reducing carbon emissions associated with work commutes. To this end, we chose to appoint team members based on their proximity to the site, living within a maximum of five miles. As a result of our appointment, one team member – Fraser Limb – is also being supported through his cost management apprenticeship degree. A procurement strategy was also developed to ensure that 80% of the project spending is within a 30-mile radius, with at least 35% of work undertaken by SMEs.
Engaging with schools One of the other ways that we have tried to consider how we can offer our time more is by engaging with schools, such as Draycott Primary School in Draycott, Derby, to gauge an early interest in careers in construction. We’ve also supported sixth form and college students through volunteering with Career Ready, by supporting students through further education and careers decisions by giving a real insight into our work. The feedback from this has been overwhelmingly positive, and for our team involved the experience was enlightening. Having a good mixture of all the
possible elements of social value provides much more well-rounded results, which has had a significant impact on the people involved, and – when measured – creates a more accurate, quality view of social value – over simply generating the highest numbers possible.
Need to be front of mind Social value plays a crucial part in our work every day, and during my two years with EDGE, I have looked to incorporate it wherever possible to ensure that everyone is thinking about what more they could be doing. Particularly in the public sector, where each project is required to have a minimum 10% social value, it needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We are keen to get involved in more
projects and improve our offering as much as possible. I am also involved in training for all our team, carrying out an internal roadshow to spread the positive work we’re doing as a business, but also to encourage more members to get involved. My aim is to build a strong process that will allow people to work autonomously. This is easily something more firms could do, but it is also removing the barriers and allowing teams to learn and educate others. There is a responsibility for construction businesses like ours to use our position for good, helping to improve communities, boost local employment, and allow the environment to thrive. While we have made good progress over the past decade to ingrain this into our businesses, it is now about taking it to the next level. Social value initiatives have an incredible impact on not only those who benefit, but also those who engage with them, as shown in Nick’s involvement. I hope this encourages more similar programmes to happen in our sector, until ultimately, we create a culture that can continue to grow in as many ways as possible, championing a people-first approach.
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