Lend Lease has achieved the CommunityMark in recognition of its UK-based community investment activity and approach to integrating community investment across the business, including the different subsidiary businesses such as Bovis Lend Lease and Catalyst Lend Lease.
Lend Lease has long been delivering community initiatives that go above and beyond the industry standard and make real impacts in target communities.
Lend Lease is tackling issues relating to employability, education and community cohesion.
Employability
One such example is The Learning Shop, a partnership between Bluewater (owned and managed by Lend Lease), North West Kent College and JobCentre Plus who work together to deliver employability and learning opportunities for Bluewater and the wider community. The Learning Shop provides a first point of contact for local people for recruitment and learning opportunities, while offering a wide range of skills training for existing Bluewater staff. It has brokered over 20,000 jobs and delivered over 8,000 learning opportunities since it opened in 1999.
Education
Through its education focused activities, Lend Lease sets out to raise the aspirations and attainment levels of young people and prepare them for the work place through providing role models, mentors, and the experience of the world of work. The company works with schools to draw up bespoke education and employability programmes which offer a menu of activities that support education and meet the needs of young people, individual authorities, communities and schools.
Community Cohesion
Lend Lease’s Community Development Framework ensures that development projects meet the needs of local communities on a project-by-project basis. All developments are required to carry out a comprehensive consultation to draw out local issues at the pre-planning stage and to establish key areas of focus for incorporation in the subsequent Community Development Strategy. The consultation and engagement strategies aim to build relationships with local groups and organisations at the earliest opportunity to maximise the reach and impact of Lend Lease’s developments in terms of enhancing community cohesion, diversity and economic development.
For details about the projects and community initiatives that led to Lend Lease achieving the CommunityMark, please visit www.lendlease.com/sustainability
