How the project team is employing Intelligent Solutions to help deliver social regeneration alongside the physical regeneration of Birkenhead.
The project is the first step of major regeneration works planned via the Birkenhead 2040 framework. The project team have been undertaking initiatives to ensure our work in the Wirral offers more than just two new office buildings, and instead, provides opportunities to boost social-economic value for the local people of Birkenhead.
Our social value plan, developed in partnership with Wirral Council and Muse Developments, delivers a wide range of benefits to the local community and is tailored to address the needs of Wirral's three priority areas:
The Birkenhead 2040 Framework has created a huge demand for construction skills to deliver major regeneration works over the coming years.
Our educational partnership with Wirral Met College has been established to help students develop these skills and embark upon rewarding careers on projects such as ours happening right on their doorsteps.
Following the success of its predecessors in Liverpool and Salford, Morgan Sindall has launched Knowledge Quad Wirral, which has been developed in partnership with Wirral Met College.
This multi-purpose training and learning facility located within our live site delivers value to students by undertaking activity focusing on four focus areas: skills, education, employment and discovery.
As an FE college the pivotal ingredient to any successful curriculum plan is ‘Employer engagement’. No longer do we just deliver traditional qualifications, we deliver careers. Our partnership with Morgan Sindall takes learning to another level with scheduled bespoke sessions delivered at the Knowledge Quad.”
Our school partnerships encourage young people to consider careers in construction. Activities include site visits, workshops, inspirational talks, mentoring, STEM activities and career fairs. Our targeted approach ensures the school achieves their Gatsby Benchmarks for career guidance.
We prioritise schools with disadvantaged pupils whom will most benefit from our support, such as those experiencing poverty, disability or low educational attainment.
We are currently partnered The Liverpool Educational Employment Partnership (LEEP) which focuses on 14-16year olds, like Lois and Ryan, who have fallen out of formal education and are in need of a more vocational education route.
We partner with local employers to provide vocational learning and work experience as our pupils do not respond well to classroom learning. Lois and Ryan are a huge success story – it’s incredible to see how much they have both grown and developed at Morgan Sindall.”
The launch of the Knowledge Quad is an exciting step forward in that journey and will enable our students to gain experience by working alongside industry professionals in a live site environment. The experience will put them ahead of the competition in terms of the key skills knowledge and behaviours needed for a career this growing industry."
‘Changing Rooms’ challenge for Wirral Met painting and decorating students
‘Build an outdoor classroom’ challenge with Wirral Met joinery students
A carefully considered collaborative approach between Morgan Sindall and Wirral Met College ensures training programmes are bespoke to the needs and demands of the local area and reduce skills gaps.
Lois and Ryan - LEEP Placements
Lois and Ryan undertook three-month work placements with us as part of our partnership with LEEP School who support young people excluded from mainstream school and are at risk of becoming NEET. Lois passed her maths GCSE and is now at college studying to be a Quantity Surveyor. Ryan has been offered an apprenticeship with Summit Scaffolding.
Care leavers often experience accelerated adulthood, which means they must learn independent living skills and pick up new skills at a younger age than their peers. They may also struggle to identify their strengths and interests, given that they lack the traditional family network's support and encouragement, which can put them at a real disadvantage and lead to long-term unemployment.
We've discovered that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
We've adopted a long-term, holistic approach, partnering with local providers like 'Our Space', a care leavers' hub run by Wirral Council that offers comprehensive support for employment, training, life skills, and mental health.
Our social value plan places an emphasis on creating opportunities for local care leavers. This commitment is shared by our supply chain partners.
Additionally, we have collaborated with 'Weapons Down Gloves Up,' a program that offers disadvantaged youth opportunities in sports, education, and employment to reduce crime in the community.
To provide tailored support for care leavers, we have facilitated activities such as interview workshops in our Knowledge Quad and supported employment courses.
Care leavers are a priority for the Wirral because they are a disadvantaged group who face many challenges that their peers don’t have to face. Particularly around employment, skills and training, where maybe they don’t get the opportunities through traditional routes. What we look to do is build partnerships with businesses like Morgan Sindall to be able to create those opportunities.”
Ben was engaged with Morgan Sindall through Wirral Council's Our Space care leavers hub. Following an employment course he has now embarked on an apprenticeship with Leach Steelwork. Despite his disadvantaged start, Ben, is excelling in his role. He's excited for his future and proud to have been able to purchase a motorcycle to help him get to work.
Joe was brought up in care and the start to his life was unstable. He trained for a logistics position in the military but failed a medical and was left jobless. Morgan Sindall created a position for Joe via the Government Kickstart scheme which has led to a permanent position as a trainee logistics assistant.
Chris was introduced to us via the Weapons Down Gloves Up (WDGU) programme in Wirral - at the time he was long term unemployed and sofa-surfing. Like so many others in this situation, Chris was depressed and struggling to make ends meet, facing a potential future of unemployment, crime and homelessness.
WDGU arranged for supported accommodation for Chris and provided a five week boxing training course to build his confidence and interpersonal skills. Following this, Morgan Sindall provided him with a three week course to help him gain construction qualifications to work onsite.
He is now employed by Morgan Sindall as a labourer and is being supported to find permanent accommodation. Chris's life has been truly turned around through this intervention.
Another of Wirral Growth Company’s objectives in this regeneration programme is to create work opportunities for local people and businesses. We share that ambition.
Morgan Sindall has been involved in this process since as a founding partner of the Wirral Chamber of Commerce Construction Forum.
The forum’s aim is to develop opportunities for local companies and individuals to benefit from local spending on construction projects. We have also fully adopted the use of Local Supply Chain within our procurement processes resulting in 26 new connections with Wirral businesses.
Morgan Sindall’s support has been invaluable in creating sustainable growth in Wirral and helping local businesses to access the huge pipeline of opportunities on the Birkenhead 2040 framework.”
Getting Connected creates a forum for local people and businesses to forge connections with ourselves, our supply chain partners and local support services.
Our Wirral events have helped us to make local people and SME’s aware of upcoming opportunities on the Birkenhead 2040 framework, and enabled them to create meaningful connections with our supply chain and local employment and local support such as Wirral Chamber of Commerce, Work Radar and Local Supply Chain.
Getting Connected has allowed us to make those early connections with local supply chain partners, local businesses and job seekers before the project begins. It’s really important for Wirral Council as part of our role in Wirral Growth Company that the physical regeneration of Birkenhead also has social regeneration as well. The steps we are taking now will leave a real lasting legacy on the local area.”
Our first Getting Connected event took place during pre-construction. This helped to place the local community at the heart of our procurement strategy and generate full buy in to our social value commitments from our supply chain partners.
Over 100 local people made meaningful business connections and discovered suitable work and training opportunities available to them.
Our latest Getting Connected event supported sustainable growth of local SME's and microbusinesses and shared insight on key components of our procurement strategy such as carbon and social value. The event resulted in:4 business growth referrals2 new members of Wirral Chamber12 registrations to Local Supply Chain6 supplier referrals to Materials Desk
Our social value plan for the project goes above and beyond Wirral’s key priorities and adds value to the local community in any way it can.
Our project delivery team are passionate about enhancing communities and operate a number of core activities that support us in delivering real social value and creating a positive lasting legacy in the community.
For instance, our team have supported the Prep 4 Life programme which helps local people with special educational needs gain vital life skills which help to make them more independent. Our site team invited the candidates to take part in planting in our site compound area.
Left to right:
Hygeine Bank donations of essential toiletries at Christmas.
Working with local refugees - planting in our site compound to help with English language development and integrate into the community.
Challenge Anneka - transforming Age UK's local Dementia Centre.
Gill Roberts, Senior Social Value Manager, Morgan Sindall Construction
Early engagement has been vital to the success of this project. It's allowed us to really embed ourselves into the local community, discover what the priorities are and to make local people aware of the opportunities available through the pipeline of work. All of the work we are doing now will benefit the people of Wirral for years to come."
