Canary Wharf Group plc Social and Economic Development Strategy

Transcription

1 Canary Wharf Group plc Social and Economic Development Strategy

2 Contents Foreword Canary Wharf Group Our Vision Towards Sustainable Employment Improving the Transition from Education to Employment Securing Opportunities for Local Job Seekers Maximising Supply Chains Community Led Development Partnership Foreword from Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Sir George Iacobescu CBE A critical dimension of the growth of Canary Wharf has been the way in which the business community has integrated with the local community. Creating pathways to sustainable employment and improving skills levels to meet the demands of today s labour market is an essential element for economic progress We have always sought to invest in the local community, recognising the importance of fostering local people, community groups and businesses. From promoting the use of local construction companies and supporting local residents to register for construction labour to facilitating initiatives such as graduate skills training, apprenticeships and our own on-site training and employment centre, we have had a key part to play in investing in the community and encouraging our tenants to do so as well. Canary Wharf is the largest urban regeneration project in Europe, a unique destination, creating wealth, providing employment, shopping malls, bars and restaurants, and open spaces for quiet enjoyment, showcasing public art and hosting events. We have paved the way for the wider development of the East End of London. The future will bring even more opportunities with future development at Heron Quays West, North Quay, Riverside South and Wood Wharf and the arrival of Crossrail in We are increasingly working on developments outside of the East End, both within the City and other parts of London. As we apply our skills and experience to projects outside of Canary Wharf we will take our culture of corporate responsibility with us and continue to pump the economic lifeblood into our local communities. Canary Wharf group Key Facts Over 100,000 people working on the Canary Wharf estate Designed and built 15m sq ft of office and retail space 35 completed buildings and 3 shopping malls Helped local SMEs win 761 million worth of business Over 600 local people supported into sustainable employment each year in association with Skillsmatch Over 1,200 young people supported through mentoring and work placements sir george iacobescu cbe chairman and chief executive officer canary wharf group plc, dec 2012 Social and Economic Development Strategy 03

3 About Canary Wharf Group plc Our Vision Canary Wharf Group plc has developed more top quality office space in London than any other company over the last two decades, transforming a derelict area of Docklands into an iconic business and shopping district which is now one of the country s leading economic drivers. Today Canary Wharf is home to many of the best known global corporates and continues to be a magnet for the world s most successful companies. Less than 50% of the working population have jobs in finance. There is a diverse range of sectors, including media and advertising, energy, healthcare, law, financial services, professional and IT, public sector organisations, and retail. With already over 100,000 people employed on the Canary Wharf Estate, the next 20 years is likely to see Canary Wharf s working population double, bringing a whole spectrum of new business and employment opportunities. The Group comprises three main companies Canary Wharf Ltd, Canary Wharf Management Ltd and Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd. Canary Wharf Ltd (CWL) is the parent company. It provides central business services for the Group and drives our socio-economic development agenda. Canary Wharf Management Ltd (CWML) manages tenanted buildings, infrastructure and all support services, including shopping malls and outdoor areas on the 120 acre Canary Wharf Estate. There is a diverse range of sectors, including media and advertising, energy, healthcare, law, financial services, professional and IT, public sector organisations, and retail. With already over 100,000 people employed on the Canary Wharf Estate, the next 20 years is likely to see Canary Wharf s working population double. Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd (CWCL) is the design and construction arm of the Group. It manages the development of buildings and infrastructure and is the UK s foremost exponent of tall building design and construction. The Group has successfully delivered projects away from Canary Wharf, including the dramatic Walkie Talkie building at 20 Fenchurch Street and Drapers Gardens, both in the City of London. Current major construction projects include: Crossrail Station, Canary Wharf European Medicines Agency (25 Churchill Place), Canary Wharf 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3 (with Land Securities) Extension of Jubilee Place Shopping Mall, Canary Wharf Shell Centre Redevelopment (with Qatari Diar), Waterloo Wood Wharf development (6m sq ft net residential and commercial over 10 years) Riverside South being brought up to grade, on behalf of J.P.Morgan Throughout the dramatic transformation of an area of derelict London into over 15 million square feet of office, retail and leisure space, Canary Wharf Group has understood the importance of creating sustainable relationships with the local community. With the knowledge that any relationship would be built on how the local community viewed the opportunities arising from the development, the Group has always focused on developing a long term in-depth investment. The Canary Wharf estate sits within an area of London where many young people are not making an effective transition from education to employment, nor gaining the essential skills with which to enter the job market. Despite the rapid employment growth, an increase of 60% over the last decade in some areas, many of the London boroughs surrounding the estate have maintained consistently high unemployment levels since the decline of the docks and the manufacturing industries, with employment opportunities for young people substantially worsening over the last few years. This Social and Economic Development strategy showcases some of the lasting legacy of our relationship with the community in terms of supporting employment opportunities, skills enhancement, investment in young people and a commitment to the local business community, and confirms our vision for the future. Our priorities include: Improving the transition from education to employment: working with schools and young people to raise aspiration preparing young people for careers and employment through school visits, work experience and work placements. continuing our endowment fund to support students to obtain grants for further education Securing opportunities for local job seekers: offering internships and apprenticeships providing a Canary Wharf Recruitment and Training Centre hosting the Docklands Personnel Initiative Maximising supply chains targeted buyer engagement developing a single database of suppliers helping local and diverse SMEs develop fitness to supply clauses included in all trade agreements and procurement policies to encourage local procurement and employment and training opportunities Community Led Development funding and support to the IDCF (now EECF), a trust to provide a permanent endowment supporting local community groups and helping people into work regular Community Forum meetings to consult and inform 04 Social and Economic Development Strategy Social and Economic Development Strategy 05

4 Towards Sustainable Employment Securing Opportunities for Local Jobseekers From before initial planning consent Canary Wharf Group actively works with partners to encourage employment and training opportunities within our developments. Social clauses are included in all contracts requesting contractors to comply with policy on employment and training with associated procedures for capturing and monitoring progress. Continued liaison with local groups, young people and graduates and hosted round table discussions with local training and job brokerage organisations, helps to identify the issues that young people face in securing sustainable employment and serves to ensure we are able to respond in a positive way to assist. Improving the Transition from Education to Employment Host a range of activities with local schools helping to prepare young people for the world of work, building relationships, raising aspirations and increasing the awareness of the opportunities available. Offer a wide range of internships and placements for graduates and young people working with local partners to provide essential work placements. These vary from annually offering over 80 young people work experience opportunities with the company, to a six months training programme for local graduates. These are all offered in partnership with local groups including Education Business Partnership, EECF, City Gateway, the Young Foundation, East London Business Alliance, and University of East London. Working with the Career Academies UK programme, we offer six young people each year a six week internship. The Partner in Business Mentoring programme allows our staff to offer a wide range of support to young people in their transition from education to employment. For local young people needing more in-depth support our Security Department plays a key role in the Community Orientating Policing (COP) course run by the Metropolitan Police. This aims to engage with young people who have offended or may be at risk of offending, helping to reduce anti-social behaviour, instilling leadership and peer role modelling, and encouraging good citizenship. In association with Greenwich Education Business Partnership we sponsor the annual Young Person s Citizenship award. We set up the Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Further & Higher EducationTrust in 1990 with a 2.5 million investment in an endowment fund to support Tower Hamlets students with grants they would not otherwise get through the mainstream system. Interest from this fund pays for grants awarded annually to Tower Hamlets people for courses that specifically improve theiraccess to employment. Two of our senior executives and two Tower Hamlets councillors are Trustees. Our education programme launched in 2009 gives east London school children a unique insight into Canary Wharf s colourful history. Working within the national curriculum for Key Stage 2 (primary school), this programme sees local students touring One Canada Square, Britain s tallest building, and the Canary Wharf Estate as well as receiving a glossy book, plus a lesson plan for teachers and classroom assistants. We will further co-ordinate our school visits offering local schools a timetable of arranged visits to our offices to hear about our new developments, understand our vision and discuss the range of employment opportunities available. We will increase our offer for school children to undertake revision on corporate sites We will offer a range of return to work discussions for parents of local school children We will further co-ordinate our Work Experience programme, offering feedback and group discussion to raise aspiration and instil confidence. We will continue our Further & Higher Education Trust Fund to ensure local students have access to grants for further and higher education. During the first phase of development, we set up a CITB construction training centre offering a unique range of training programmes in the construction sector and helping local residents qualify in a variety of construction trades. Our unique partnership with local councils, Jobcentre Plus and local training providers working with contractors ensures that local residents have access to the construction and construction related jobs arising from the Canary Wharf development and beyond. The latest figures show that over 2,360 construction jobs have already been secured for local people The creation of a learning partnership with UCATT, TUC and Lewisham College has offered a flexible learning centre in computer skills to enhance the skills of local construction workers working on the development as well as offering a Test Centre for the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS). The George Brumwell Learning Centre also offers Health and Safety Awareness, Skills for Life and English Language programmes to those working on construction sites from overseas. Through Skillsmatch I have had training, work experience and guidance which has helped me to develop my skills to achieve my ambition to be an employable and productive professional. Taiye Aro, Communications Assistant employed at UK Skills In 1997 at the outset of the second phase of the Canary Wharf development a joint venture with the local Council s job brokerage team, Skillsmatch, was developed to capture employment and training opportunities for local residents, offering rent free premises in the heart of the Canary Wharf estate. As the joint venture gained success we have provided and fitted out rent free prime space for a dedicated Recruitment and Training Centre. This centre acts as the conduit for linking local jobs and training opportunities with local job seekers, building links with a range of local partners and delivery agents. This unique joint venture provides a platform to secure public and private sector funding to maintain the service. In a typical year around 650 local people secure sustainable employment through this route which has launched some award winning programmes with companies such as Credit Suisse, London Underground, Waitrose and JP Morgan. Cumulatively, from October 1997 to July 2012, jobs have been secured for 8,288 local people Large scale recruitment campaigns have been held at the centre including employers from Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Travel, the Security Industry, NHS, Retail and Construction. 06 Social and Economic Development Strategy Social and Economic Development Strategy 07

5 Feature Case Study Luckman Miah, Tower Hamlets Young jobseeker, Luckman Miah was looking for a break and applied to the Working Start programme for help. After his initial training, he was placed with a local company that manufactures bicycle parking products from recycled steel. Having evolved from a University project that was undertaken during the directors final year, Bikedock Solutions was looking for some administrative support and were so impressed with Luckman during his placement that they decided to employ him on a permanent basis. I participated in team building activities, attended the site to see planning and installations, I wrote blogs, updated social networks, got trained on Quickbooks (software to manage and authorise payments sent and received). Also was monitoring bank accounts, and sales spreadsheets. Due to my dedication I was offered a lot of trust and responsibilities. My proudest moment was when they offered me the role of Business Manager, everyone welcomed me into the team officially. I am so delighted to be placed in such a team that really cares for each other dearly and is considerate at all times. My plan now is to stick to the role offered to me and continue working hard as I have and hope to grow within the company. I would most definitely recommend the working start programme and it has most certainly helped me. Community Led Development We work with the local community by both consulting and informing people about our developments, regularly organising Community Forum meetings within the local community and supporting projects for local people. Our successful Local Business Liaison Office (LBLO) helped local suppliers to secure over 615 million of business between 1997 and 2008 providing the model and leadership for East London Business Place (ELBP) created in ELBP is a contract brokerage service allied to a supplier development programme, with support from East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and some local authorities. It provides a free business support service to its growing database of over 3,500 suppliers representing a spectrum of trades and disciplines from across the London Thames Gateway Boroughs. Through ELBP, we work with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) to bring local jobseekers and local SMEs together via LBTH s Working Start Programme. Working Start aims to help unemployed young people and other unemployed local people gain valuable paid work experience. It provides work placements of three to five months depending on the previous experience of the participants. The Council undertakes a selection process based on the requirements of employers who are willing to provide a placement. All candidates are given training and literacy and numeracy tests to business standard prior to beginning their placements and the host employer is then invited to attend the recruitment sessions and help select the right candidates for their roles. Host SMEs gain an employee working 25 hours per week at no cost and the Council provides the payroll service. Since the programme started in January 2012, a total of 24 interns have been placed with 16 SMEs. Six of these SMEs have retained their placements. A further 13 SMEs have committed to placements in September All of our job vacancies are sent to a range of partner organisations and are available electronically in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. Work experience placements to raise confidence are offered through Business Action on Homelessness to people who have been out of the working environment for some time and have no previous fixed address. Hosting and administrating the Docklands Personnel Initiative offers effective liaison and sharing of good practice in supporting employment opportunities across 35 organisations on the Canary Wharf estate and the surrounding Docklands area. We will capitalise on the Recuitment and Training Centre model, working with Skillsmatch and other partners to ensure a dedicated premises offering job brokerage and skills training to help local communities secure employment from development opportunities. We will continue to work with our range of partners to ensure that as an employer we offer a range of work placements and internships as entry points to employment, providing effective feedback and monitoring. We will develop a more integrated and direct approach to planning agreements, negotiating targets and ensuring that any financial contribution achieves our agreed aims. We will continue to host the Docklands Personnel Initiative, sharing good practice and encouraging our tenants to take an active role in creating employment opportunities. As well as working with small groups to identify public, private and charitable sources of funding, we provide funding and support to the IDCF (now EECF), a trust set up at the very start of the development of Canary Wharf to ensure that local people have a permanent endowment to support local community groups and to help people into work. This Foundation has been chaired by a senior member of the Group and is a unique coalition of the voluntary, business and statutory sectors, well supported by a range of companies from the Docklands area. Staff hold several senior positions within the EECF as well as being extensively represented on local forums and partnerships, taking active roles in helping to shape the social and economic fabric adjacent to the areas of development. The EECF offers a wide range of activities including: apprenticeships in Business Administration and Hospitality and Catering financial workshops to help people manage their money a Job Shop to help motivate local job seekers, providing in-depth support and skills enhancement a range of volunteer programmes to increase skills levels residential study weekends to develop leadership skills Volunteering within schools, acting as School Governors as well as in-depth mentoring to job seekers undertaking work experience ensures that the Group continues to be well informed about local community issues. We actively encourage our staff to undertake a range of other volunteering activities within the community. *On 1st October 2012 IDCF merged with St Katherine s Community Foundation to form the East End Community Foundation (EECF). staff represented on IDCF s Board have taken a leading role in the negotiations and preparations for this merger. The EECF will have greater reach, experience and a considerably larger funding base along with membership of the Community Foundation Network and greater access to fundraising opportunities. We will continue our regular Community Forum meetings. We will continue our support and active role, supporting and developing the newly merged East End Community Foundation (EECF) We will continue to encourage and support our staff to take on mentoring roles with young people and actively work within the community. 08 Social and Economic Development Strategy Social and Economic Development Strategy 09

6 Supporting the Local Business Community Partnership and Adding value East London Business Place The closing of the docks and the associated loss of businesses and secondary businesses related to the docks resulted in an area of inter-generational high unemployment and low levels of economic activity. The significant achievement of a complete transformation over two decades has focused on supporting the shift from a predominantly manually based industry to a professional financial and technology based economy that is now recognised as one of the country s leading economic drivers. The current financial climate further underlines the need for local business support in order to meet the aims of improving economic prosperity, entrepreneurship and business growth. Collectively, SMEs are the main source of employment in the UK and we recognise that helping SMEs to develop, become more competitive, win contracts and grow creates a sound platform for future economic and employment growth. Recognising the importance of supporting the shift in the local economy, in 1989 we challenged the normal practice of trade contractors using their own tried and tested subcontractors and labourers and began to promote the use of local construction companies alongside encouraging local residents to register for employment in the construction industry. The impact of this support has led to the successful adoption of similar approaches on other major schemes. In the first major phase of construction over 48 million worth of business was placed with local companies. The second phase created the Local Businesss Liaison Office (LBLO) which developed a single database of suppliers for procurement reference offering the ability to review and progress buying opportunities on a sector specific basis as well as facilitate progress tracking, feedback and action planning for small and medium enterprise improvement. Opportunities gained through targeted buyer engagement, from the initial construction phase of major developments through to providing tenants of developments and other buyers with ongoing supplies and services, are cascaded through the ever increasing database of businesses. In 2008 a partnership between our LBLO, East London Business Alliance, the Olympic Host Boroughs, the London Thames Gateway Partnership and the London Development Agency further developed this initiative into what is today the East London Business Place (ELBP), extending the programme across the 10 London Thames Gateway boroughs. Helping local SMEs to get the basics right in terms of their general fitness-to-supply and their confidence and ability to bid for bigger and better contracts is fundamental to the initiative which supports local businesses to develop core policies such as Health and Safety, Quality Assurance, Equality and Diversity and Environmental as well as invest in IT, industry accreditations and training to meet the high standards essential to secure contracts from major developers and their contractors. To date, through the LBLO and ELBP, thousands of local suppliers from the surrounding local authority areas in East London have been helped to secure over 761 million worth of business. In October 2012, with Qatari Diar, our joint venture partners on the Shell Centre development, we launched a further business and procurement support initiative in the borough of Lambeth. The South London Procurement Network (SLPN) will work with small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Borough of Lambeth and also more widely across South London to help them access and bid for contracts from major businesses and projects based in the area. We will seek to further align our business support activities with the creation of job opportunities, building on employment initiatives such as the Working Start programme to bring together local SMEs and local jobseekers. The established success of ELBP provides a blueprint for promoting local businesses, helping them to compete for contracts from any future developments. We will further integrate our ELBP and the new SLPN initiatives fully within our procurement process to maintain opportunities for local companies to compete for business. For more information go to: Including clauses in all our trade agreements and procurement policies ensures that all contractors to the Group comply with the priority of supporting local procurement, as well as supporting employment and training opportunities for local people. With millions of pounds spent each year this is an important element of ensuring that local companies, where possible, are able to compete for business. Champions within CWCL will ensure effective dialogue between contractors and sub-contractors, identifying the benefits of local supply chains and offering support to meet trade agreement principles within the local community as well as tracking and monitoring progress. CWCL will continue its regular participation in hosting and offering support to contractors on a range of topics and Leadership seminars including updates and alternative views on improving Health and Safety in construction and construction related industries. The Canary Wharf Management Limited (CWML) procurement strategy is based on tendering for services and suppliers across all departments of the company, including Buildings, Infrastructure and Retail and thereby achieving economies of scale. CWML will continue to work closely with ELBP to identify local businesses that can be included in the tender process, the most recent example being the cleaning contract for One Canada Square. For many years we have been working in partnership with other major economic players including the Olympic Development Authority, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and London Legacy Development Corporation, London City Airport, Anchutz Entertainment Group, Maritime Greenwich, Universities of Greenwich, East London and Queen Mary, the Royal Naval College and the ExCel exhibition centre. We have worked closely with local bodies such as the Thames Gateway London Partnership, Gateway to London, Think London, Visit London, London First, Business in the Community, East London Business Alliance, IDCF, London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich and are represented on and take an active part in a range of local steering groups and strategic partnership groups. It is essential that developers, local councils, skills training organisations and local delivery agents work together through the current changes to planning agreements and public funding for skills, employment and enterprise to maximise the economic benefits to local communities. We are proud of the relationships we have built within communities local to our developments and the contribution we have made and continue to make to increasing economic prosperity and raising aspirations. Partners Our partners in local delivery in the field of education, training, job brokerage and enterprise support include: Skillsmatch East London Business Alliance East London Small Business Centre London Legacy Development Corporation Business in the Community Heart of the City City Gateway The London Thames Gateway Boroughs Education Business Partnership East End Community Foundation Careers Academy UK Local Authorities University of East London Tower Hamlets College Prince s Trust Young Foundation London Youth Teach First UK Youth Education Business Partnership George Brumwell Learning Centre Careers Academy UK Working Start Programme 10 Social and Economic Development Strategy Social and Economic Development Strategy 11

7 Canary Wharf Group plc One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5AB Tel: +44 (0)