Section 1
Social Responsibility
Section 2
Achievements on Facilities Scotland 2
Section 3
Corporate volunteering & Community Engagement
Section 4
Work Placements, Apprentices, Graduates & New Entrants
Section 5
Qualifying the Workforce
Contents
At GRAHAM we strive to make a difference
At GRAHAM we strive to make a difference, our impact is measured not just in the quality of projects we deliver, but the longer-term impact on the communities, people and environment in which we operate. Our work connects communities, builds a better future and transforms and maintains the places where we live, work and relax.
We must always:
Respect local people and places, by involving and engaging local communities in our works.
Collaborate with project stakeholders, customers and impacted communities to help improve and optimise our social impact.
Keep the communities affected by our projects regulary updated and informed
Contribute to social and economic regeneration by employing and nurturing a local committed, skilled and adaptable workforce.
Engage with schools, collages and universities, as well as charities, to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning, enterprise skills and employability.
We are proud of the positive impact that we make to the communities in which we work, through the delivery of community benefits and wider social value outcomes. We acknowledge that it is in our best interest, both now and in the long term, to build the skills capacity and resourcefulness of our staff and supply chain through investing in our communities, leaving a lasting legacy and adding value to our project delivery.
Adopt sustainable procurement practices and where possible, purchase local products and services with low embodied impact.
Support SME and BAME business markets to encourage a diverse supply base, ensuring fair payment conditions are applied.
Promote and procure materials with a preference for recognised responsible sourcing schemes e.g. Fairtrade & ETI certified products.
We must never :
Adapt
Refuse to listen to, or not take seriously, the concerns of local stakeholders.
Disregard the implecations of our actions in the community for commercial gain.
The best way to predict the future is to create it
GRAHAM who are currently upgrading Monklands Hospital and various Lanarkshire Health Centres, completed a probono refurbishment of St. Andrews Hospice shop in Larkhall.
Several different sections of the shop unit were refurbished by GRAHAM, including painting, rebuilding shelf units and creating new display shelves at the front window. The project was carried out over the period of a week by a number of employees as part of the our commitment to the local community.
St. Andrew’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care to people living with life-limiting illnesses. It places a focus on supporting patients and their families, with shop units raising money to drive forward these efforts.
Café Aroma at Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline was fitted with an extensive range of brand-new garden furniture donated by its construction partner GRAHAM.
The café, which was modernised as part of the ongoing £9.2m redevelopment and enhancement of Queen Margaret and Victoria Hospitals for NHS Fife, benefited from a £2,500 suite of tables and chairs gifted by GRAHAM. During work to the Queen Margaret Hospital, GRAHAM delivered a new dental suite to develop the quality of care available and a state-of-the-art audiology unit offering first-class test facilities for patients affected by hearing difficulties.
NHS Fife’s Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Services, Andrew Fairgrieve, said: “GRAHAM is one of NHS Fife’s preferred suppliers and has worked on several of our sites, carrying out major refurbishments and new build projects.
“These projects have been completed on time and within budget. Their approach in providing community benefits such as this is fantastic and much appreciated by staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.“
Wishaw Food Bank had a revamp with help from GRAHAM who were working on Monklands Hospital and various Lanarkshire health centres. As part of our commitment to the local community, GRAHAM approached the food bank to see if there were renovations or work they could do for them.
GRAHAM is committed to helping local communities they work in and earlier in the year carried out similar improvements to the Kilsyth Food Bank. The offer was met with open arms and GRAHAM subsequently carried out joinery work and renovated wear and tear areas within the building. Internal doors have been renewed and vents and grills have been refreshed as part of the process.
Additional lighting and a replacement front door was added to make the food bank more safe and secure. The entrance has new flooring to give it a refreshed, brighter feel.
The charity operates four food banks in North Lanarkshire and gave out nearly five tonnes of food at the start of the year. That included 214 food parcels, which assisted 68 families and fed approximately 328 people, all through the generous giving of the local people of North Lanarkshire.
Site operatives and apprentices from GRAHAM worked on the food bank, backed up by sub-contractors, who also gave their time and expertise freely to help the local community.
“ Basics Food Bank
Lanarkshire would like to commend GRAHAM on the high quality of workmanship they carried out at our storage and office premises. These essential works which have been carried out free of charge have allowed us to focus our resources on meeting the ever growing demand for the services the charity provides ”.
David Shaw, manager from Basics Food Bank Lanarkshire
GRAHAM provided essential works to HOPE for Autism’s Chapel Street base in Airdrie, equipping the local charity to continue to help young people affected by the condition. Recently completing a programme of refurbishment and remedial works of existing wards at Monklands Hospital, we volunteered our services to complete over £2,000 of vital repairs.
The GRAHAM team stripped down and revamped the charity’s existing sensory room, removing existing shelving and installing new storage.Operating from the HOPE Centre, the charity provides educational activity groups for young people aged 2-25 years of age. Their facilities also offer support to local families and carers affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Carol Russell, Chair, Hope for Autism, said: “Multisensory equipment is a vital and effective part in the treatment of sensory disorders.
We supported a local event and charity as part of our community involvement programme. Three volunteers from the Raigmore team – Bob Cairney of GRAHAM, and Alex Mann and Jarvis Morrison of Inverness-based sub-contractor Ian Cowie Groundworks – were given the day away from the hospital to help set up the Invercharron Highland Games site at Bonar Bridge. The company also sponsored four cycling events at the Games, the last of the season in the area.
In addition, GRAHAM and its supply chain partners Frazer, CCF Insulation, Planned Fire Maintenance, Pat Munro, Greenham, Rembrand, Cameron Water, Fortress SEFA and Travis Perkins donated cash and gifts worth £1192 to ARCHIE Highlands.
Invercharron Highland Games president Michael Baird said:
“The lads did a great job, and their help and expertise was invaluable. We are very grateful.to GRAHAM.”
“ This was a very welcome donation from GRAHAM and its sub-contractors, who worked hard to transform vital facilities at Raigmore, where we are based.”
Laura Mackintosh, ARCHIE’s head of fundraising“ GRAHAM’s contribution to our facility will help us to continue to offer a safe space where we can encourage children and young adults affected by autism to develop key life skills ” .
GRAHAM approached Fife college to offer work placement opportunities to their students studying NC and HNC construction related courses.
Local girl, Sarah, grabbed the opportunity with both hands by agreeing to carry out her placement on the days she was not at college. Sarah an HNC student studying Civil Engineering and working towards gaining her Degree and then becoming a chartered (CEng) engineer.
“ I was excited by the opportunity to apply my existing skills and knowledge to real-life problems. I worked closely with the Project Manager and General Foreman on the new IPCU at Stratheden Hospital.
I experienced project management and gained invaluable team-working, timemanagement, and administrative skills, I produced permits to dig and assisted to oversee the filling of critical H&S documentation, for example site inductions and toolbox talks. Following this I attended a procurement meeting for internal furnishings. Part of the specification requirement was anti-ligature which although sensitive, was very interesting.
I have enjoyed my time on site and now look forward to a varied and exciting career in civil engineering ”
Sarah, Fife College Student GRAHAM SUPPORTS EQUATE SCOTLAND BY ENCOURAGING WOMEN INTO THE INDUSTRY.New graduate Eimear McLaughlin is celebrating being offered a full-time job with GRAHAM after the company supported her with summer placements and part-time work throughout her degree.
Eimear, 22, from Renfrew, graduated with a first-class honours degree in Construction Management from Edinburgh Napier University. While studying, Eimear undertook three work placements with GRAHAM, and later went on to work two days a week at the company during her final year at university. Eimear now works full time with GRAHAM as an assistant quantity surveyor in its commercial team and is currently working on projects for NHS Lanarkshire.
“
I am so pleased to be working permanently with GRAHAM after building a really good relationship with the company over the course of my degree. During my first placement, I pursued Building Management but realised that Construction Management was the area I wanted to work in. Having the opportunity to gain work experience and from that decide the career areas I want to pursue was invaluable.
As a woman in the construction industry, I’m aware of the importance of ensuring female students are informed of all the opportunities available to them in the many different facets of the construction industry.”
Eimear McLaughlin , Graduate
GRAHAM supported New College Lanarkshire course, aimed at helping young females enter the construction industry.
The Females into Construction course, ran by New College Lanarkshire, was opened to 16 school leaves, and provided a National 5 qualification in Construction Crafts. Students on the course got the chance to visit GRAHAM sites and hear from some of the firms Young Female Ambassadors, who visited the college to give presentations on their experiences in the Industry.
Around 50 young construction students at New College Lanarkshire are settling into frontline work as part of New College Lanarkshire’s biggest ever training placement scheme for would-be building trades apprentices.
The 16–24-year-old Construction Pre-Apprentices are taking part in six weeks of on-the-job work experience with nearly 20 companies in Lanarkshire and Glasgow – ranging from some of the biggest names in the construction industry to smaller local firms – in a move aimed at showcasing the youngsters’ skills to potential employers.
Among the locations the students will be working at are GRAHAM healthcare projects across Lanarkshire.
GRAHAM donated £500 towards a graduation ceremony for the pupils who successfully completed the course. On completion, students who wished to pursue a trade career, were guaranteed a place on the New Lanarkshire College’s City and Guilds pre-apprenticeship course.
The young learners come from Wishaw, Stepps, Holytown, Motherwell, Hamilton, Uddingston, Carluke, Cumbernauld, Airdrie, Larkhall, Bellshill, Cambuslang, Bothwell, Coatbridge, Blantyre and Shotts.
The Construction Pre-Apprentice course provides students with training in topics including carpentry and joinery, painting and decorating, bricklaying, plumbing, construction drawing and health and safety.
All students have had to pass the Construction Skills Certification scheme (CSCS) to proceed with their placements and go onsite.
GRAHAM has reinforced our commitment to the Scottish sector after successfully providing almost £500,000 of fully-funded training courses to supply chain partners alongside our own employees.
92 employees of companies within our supply chain have been supported with access to SVQ qualifications, which ranges from HNC to Master level, in the areas of Occupational Works, Site Supervision and Construction Management. GRAHAM have also had over 40 employees undertake training in these areas - which gives lifelong qualifications valid on any construction site in Scotland.
The training is structured around on-site assessment, cutting out the need for any overly complicated written exams or essays which has helped to encourage uptake. “’Game changer”
One such company is Aberdeen based window fabricator and installer Crest Glazing, which employs around 48 staff. Working in partnership with GRAHAM to install windows as part of the Raigmore Hospital redevelopment project, 11 of its team have so far gained access to trainingearning Level 6 SVQs in Occupational Work Supervision. GRAHAM has also committed to extend its support to Crest’s domestic supply department.
“
Being able to undertake this type of training has been a game-changer for our team – many of who haven’t completed any formal qualifications since leaving school or college ”
David Scott, Managing Director of Crest Glazing
