Working in collaboration
The collaboration has been very successful and in December 2022, the Trust facilitated a Morgan Sindall recruitment evening at its headquarters at Emm Lane Campus in Bradford. As part of the event potential new recruits and their family members were able to meet our senior team and explore the various careers options to understand a little more about the professions on offer in the construction world.
We were taken aback by the difficulty people we met were having with applications given their skill sets and qualifications. One candidate was a civil engineering graduate, and he was struggling to get interviews.As part of the event we agreed to take five people through a Placement Programme with us that could potentially result in full time employment."
Following the inclusive recruitment process the team offered five new six-month placements. Four of the candidates started in February 2023 and one started in June 2023 following completion of their foundation year.
The placements included a rotation across key disciplines to give the broadest possible development:
preconstruction
design
planning
site management
commercial
health & safety
environment
An assessment after the six months helped each candidate to decide the right career path.
Sarah Muscas, senior social value manager for Morgan Sindall Construction said: "We knew we needed some specialist expertise to help us on our journey. So we worked closely with an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) consultant from the Trust, and they provided employment support, and mentoring for both the candidates and the Morgan Sindall team throughout the placements.
Through conversations and workshops we have been able to understand things that were getting in the way of us attracting the community to apply for a role in the construction industry. This included the lack of diversity, with under representation from the Muslim community within the industry leaving many young people with the feeling that construction careers are not available to them.
In turn we have been able to change the perception about construction as a supportive environment for the families we met through the Trust. We have begun a journey to change our practices and the perception about the construction industry. Working with the Trust we not only engaged with potential candidates but also family members and the broader community."
We were able to speak about the range of careers available and answer any questions. We have been able to share with them the variety of opportunities in management, design, and surveying.
In turn we have been able to change the perception about construction as a supportive environment for the families we met through the Trust. We have begun a journey to change our practices and the perception about the construction industry. Working with the Trust we not only engaged with potential candidates but also family members and the broader community.
It has been extremely educational working closely with Greensville Trust to learn more about the South Asian community in Bradford. By working with the Trust we have been able to understand how the construction industry is viewed within this community and educate people on opportunities they didn’t know were out there.
We have also learnt about how we could do things differently, part of this includes a refresher course on Equality and Inclusion, as well as a review of policies, procedures and practices.”
Two of the five applicants were Hamza Ali, Trainee Design Manager and Abuzar Muhammed, Trainee Planner. For South Asian Heritage Month they shared their stories on the Leeds College of Building’s website.
“To attract more individuals from a South Asian Heritage into Morgan Sindall, we need to keep working with organisations like the Greensville Trust and show there is interest from construction in attracting Muslims and people of South Asian heritage to work in the sector.” Hamza Ali, Trainee Design Manager
“Since joining Morgan Sindall, I’ve seen things are different than I expected. There are a lot more women working on sites, which is a good thing. When I first joined, I was one of the only people of an Asian background in the office and I had never been in that situation before. However, everyone’s been brilliant and made me feel at home since I started work here.” Abuzar Muhammed, Trainee Planner
Read Hamza and Abuzar’s blog
My first few weeks at Morgan Sindall have been brilliant. I thought it would take a few months to settle in, however as soon as I started, everyone was so welcoming and helped me settle in straight away. My placement has also been really interesting as I am spending a few weeks with each department. What I have learned so far about the construction industry is that there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes of a project and that it is not as simple as laying bricks."
I am enjoying my time with Morgan Sindall. I have further enhanced my knowledge on the construction industry from a design point of view by familiarising myself with the different stages to a project as well as understanding the design management procedures. I believe this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life and I look forward to the challenges and success the future holds."
A very enjoyable first few weeks and learnt so much already. The issues/complications on different sites can vary immensely especially when you compare working on a new build to an existing build. In construction, for everything to run smoothly in terms of things getting built, there are so many processes that must happen with each requiring thorough detail."