Keltbray awarded Gold membership by The 5% Club

Keltbray, the UK’s leading specialist in construction engineering and infrastructure services, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded Gold accredited membership via The 5% Club’s 2023-24 Employer Audit Scheme. This award recognises our significant contribution to the continued development of all our Employees through “earn & learn” schemes such as Apprenticeships, Graduate Schemes and Sponsored Students Course Placements.

We are proud of our investment in our staff members, which is why we joined The 5% Club. The 5% Club is a dynamic movement of Employers all of whom are inspired to take positive action for increased, inclusive, and accessible workplace training for all. The 5% Club represents over 1.6 Million Employees from over 900 companies, 101,000 of whom are in “earn and learn” schemes. The Employer Audit is a unique scheme which validates the employers’ activities, explores their future plans and commitments, as well as examining their approaches to quality, social mobility, diversity and inclusion.

James Dawson, Head of Learning and Development at Keltbray said,

“Receiving Gold membership from The 5% Club is a significant milestone for Keltbray, reflecting our commitment to the continuous development of our colleagues. “

Gerry O’Rourke, Early Careers Manager at Keltbray added:

“Earning Gold membership with The 5% Club is a celebration of our commitment to fostering the workforce of tomorrow. This award will also drive Keltbray’s new Graduate programme forward, whilst we also actively engage with young persons in the communities in which we work.”

As reported in our 2022 Annual Report and Accounts, Keltbray had a total of 104 employees on full-time training internships, apprenticeships and graduate development programmes during our 21/22 financial year, of which 65 were on apprenticeships and 39 on graduate development programmes.

Furthermore, our Social Sustainability programmes, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have seen:

• 34 new apprentices recruited in FY2022, with four new apprenticeship schemes added to Keltbray curriculum including two Level 7 Master Degree apprenticeships .
• 55 graduates employed on development schemes, plus 10 people on internships and work placements from other organisations
• 684 young people engaged through our outreach work, including educational and community stakeholders

Mark Cameron OBE, Chief Executive at The 5% Club said,

“Our Employer Audit scheme recognises the efforts of all those Employers who invest in their workforce through a broad range of workplace learning schemes. It is fantastic that in these challenging times so many are able to commit to the Employer Audit and to gain the credit for their efforts, and that the majority are striving to expand their schemes over the coming years. Their efforts and achievements are to be applauded.”

Gill Cronin, Director of Operations at The 5% Club added:

“Having seen The Club grow to more than 900 members, I am always impressed at the commitment, drive and energy our members channel into offering “earn and learn” skills opportunities. To now see 20 percent of these members gain Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum accredited membership of The Club is inspiring and demonstrates how these companies are all contributing to the future of skills in our economy.”

Please read our Social Value review from our latest annual report for more on how we support local communities and leave a sustainable legacy, based on the principle that we take every opportunity to leave a community in better shape – socially, environmentally and economically – than when we arrived in it.

For more on our work with graduates, apprenticeships and work experience, please visit our Early Careers page.