Improving the life chances of local residents by helping them find good employment is a key to the positive lasting legacy we leave around our projects.
At the Kingshurst Village Centre regeneration project in Solihull, where we are delivering 25 new net zero, social rented homes, we have offered employment opportunities and construction training to local people.
Kingshurst resident Neil Hakesley (right) had been unemployed for a month after being made redundant. He was initially taken on as a labourer on site in 2023, but his enthusiasm was soon rewarded as Willmott Dixon paid for him to gain his Articulated Dump Truck licence through RMF Training Group.
“I approached Willmott Dixon when I heard they were starting work in my local area Kingshurst," said Neil.
“At the time, I was happy with just some intermittent labouring work, but after being told I showed great work ethic, motivation and safety awareness, Willmott Dixon gave me in-house training, and I became the sites full time gateman.
“Since then, I’ve taken my role really seriously, maintaining a 100% attendance record knowing how integral my part is to the logistics of the site and safety of the public.
“During this time, I expressed a desire to undertake a course in articulated dump truck driving to further progress my career. But knew this would take me a while to save for this so intended to continue my role as gateman or labourer on other sites for a number of years.
“I was so humbled when Willmott Dixon approached me and said they wanted to pay for my licence as part of their social value investment, I can’t tell you what this means to me and my young family.
“Since starting as a labourer with Willmott Dixon, they’ve have made such a huge positive impact on my life and I’m so grateful,” added Neil.
At Kingshurst, we actively looked to spend as much of the project’s budget locally as possible, with 48% of labour provided by people living within 10 miles of the site.
Neil is one of four local people to benefit from employment opportunities, with an additional nine careers enabled through our Building Lives Academies, which delivered skills and employability training in the community. You can find out more about that work here.
