SOCIAL VALUE
& COMMUNITY
Whenever possible we always look to give back to the local communities in which our projects are located.
​Working on behalf of Karbon Developments for a social housing project, at Nolan Hall, in Hebburn, we ensured community engagement and social value was a top priority.
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We delivered several initiatives including: -
Visits from local schools to engage directly with the project by carrying out planting to part of the site.
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Attending a schools’ careers day at St Oswald’s School, Hebburn. This was a full morning session speaking to children from each year group individually and telling them about the exciting careers that can be launched in construction. This was attended by our manging director.
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Working with a local school to construct furniture for an external classroom with all materials provided free of charge by Able Construction. This was attended by one of our joinery site managers and our social value manager, together with school staff and used as an education session for the pupils which was extremely successful.
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Providing on-the-job experience to a student completing the Level 2 bricklaying course at New College Durham, alongside a full-time foreman and both a full-time and a part-time Groundworker, for the duration of the contract. 
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Jess Alexander, social value coordinator at Karbon, said: “Some of the social value programmes with our supply chains involve working with local schools, colleges and other education pathways. Able Construction has delivered a range of engagement with St Oswald’s school, Hebburn, bringing to life the potential of a career in construction with students of all ages.”
We are proud to support many worthy initiatives and charities, one of the most prominent being the North East branch of the Lighthouse Charity, which provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support within the construction industry, including on-site talks and roadshows to ensure services are visible and easily accessible.
As a business built on the strength of its people, we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our workforce and the wider construction community. We continue to pledge our support to a range of regional events.
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We are also a big champion of the North East construction sector andare active members of Northern Counties Builders Federation (NCBF) and Construction Alliance NorthEast (CAN).
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As former chair of North East lobbying group, CAN, which plays a strategic role in supporting and promoting the North East’s competent and capable SME contractors, our managing director, Ken Parkin, is a high profile champion of the region’s excellent contractors.
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As members of the NCBF we actively support the trade organisation tackle the serious issue of the skills gap, engaging with local colleges to encourage regional contractors to meet with final year trade apprentices who are seeking employment.