Esh Construction commits to upskilling local communities 

Esh Construction is teaming up with South Yorkshire education and training provider RNN Group to help support young people into construction careers. 

RNN Group includes further and higher education campuses across South Yorkshire where Esh Construction is currently delivering over £8m worth of schemes.

As an employer academy partner, Esh will play a key role in the design and delivery of the curriculum. 

Employer academies were launched by RNN Group in 2019 and provide a structured format for employers to lead on a number of activities for learners such as masterclasses, workshops, site visits, volunteering opportunities and industry placements.

Since the start of the 2023-24 academic year, Esh has worked with a cohort of 60 students to deliver four workshops which covered opportunities within the civil engineering sector, behaviours and expectations in the workplace, and introduced upcoming work experience placements.

A selected group then went on to receive a mock interview, with eight students successfully securing a five-day placement on a live site in the region.

Megan Roberts, Esh’s social value manager for the Yorkshire region, said: “A fundamental part of our social value delivery is engaging within the local communities surrounding our construction sites. 

“We are working in partnership with Rotherham Council on projects near to Rotherham College and Dearne Valley College, therefore it was important to develop a partnership that enables us to provide meaningful engagement opportunities to young people in the area.

“Joining RNN Group as an employer academy provides a format and structure for our engagement, meaning our delivery is catered to the needs of the students and through multiple interventions we provide a well-rounded approach to developing the workforce of the future.”

Looking ahead to 2024, Esh is planning to work with another cohort of students who are currently studying construction trades at Rotherham College.