Educate, Inspire and Empower
Educate, Inspire and Empower
This week, the Government announced a new Social Value Model for central government procurement, which places an even greater emphasis on creating jobs, developing skills and supporting young people into employment.
From 1 January 2027, central government organisations will apply the new model to contracts worth £1 million and above, with social value carrying a minimum weighting of 10%. For contracts valued at over £5 million, the weighting will increase to 20%, with departments expected to demonstrate measurable outcomes around jobs and skills, particularly for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Importantly, the updated model also recognises organisations that go the extra mile by creating meaningful opportunities for young people through activities such as work experience and skills development.
From Constructing Change’s point of view, this is really positive news.
It recognises that inspiring future talent isn’t an optional extra or simply something that’s ‘nice to do’ but is fundamental to building the workforce our industry needs for the future.
It’s also an approach we have been championing from day one. Working with employers across the construction, infrastructure and FCERM sectors, Constructing Change has already helped facilitate hundreds of employer encounters to deliver meaningful work experience for young people across the country, helping them discover careers they may never have previously considered.
Elizabeth Griffin-Bennett, founder and CEO of Constructing Change: “This is really positive news for our industry.
“We’ve spent years talking about the skills shortage in construction. For me, the answer starts with inspiring more young people to discover the opportunities our industry has to offer.
“What really caught my eye was the recognition for businesses that go the extra mile by providing meaningful work experience and investing in skills. That’s exactly what so many of our Constructing Change members are already doing.
“Every time someone from our industry speaks in a school, welcomes students onto site or offers meaningful work experience, it can open a door to opportunities that many young people simply didn’t know were there. We see it happen time and again through our Learning in Action programme.
“I hope these changes will encourage even more employers to get involved because the talent is out there, it just needs someone to show young people what’s possible and create that spark.”
Every day, Constructing Change works alongside contractors, consultants, infrastructure organisations, local authorities and educators to help young people experience construction first-hand through employer encounters, site visits, Learning in Action activities and meaningful Gatsby-aligned work experience.
For employers, the new Social Value Model provides another reason to invest in meaningful engagement with young people.
For us here at Constructing Change, the motivation has always been much bigger than procurement. Every employer that opens its doors, welcomes students onto site, or offers meaningful work experience has the opportunity to inspire the next generation of construction professionals.
Those experiences don’t just strengthen social value outcomes, but broaden horizons and gives young people the confidence to consider careers they may never have thought possible.
We hope these changes encourage even more organisations to get involved because every young person we inspire today will help to strengthen the future of our industry.
Categories: Insights