Social value at VolkerRail
Enhancing the communities we work within is at the heart of our business.
By building effective relationships with our clients, communities and with local charities/organisations, we provide consistent, meaningful and long-term measurable support.
We are proud of our long-standing relationships with our clients and use this opportunity to maximise our social value commitments in creating a positive and lasting legacy. This underlines our People, Planet, Purpose approach to our ‘Decade of Action.’
Enhancing and improving our biodiversity
We work with local communities to improve the environment. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is not only an ethical imperative but also a practical necessity for ensuring the long-term sustainability of our planet and the prosperity of future generations.
Our projects are making great strides in this area. The VolkerRailStory joint venture on Hope valley are working towards achieving biodiversity net gain target of over 20% on the Hope Valley Railway Update, and the East West Rail Alliance set a target of a 10% biodiversity net gain across the whole project.
Inspiring the next generation
We take our responsibility to inspire the next generation and bridge the skills gap in our industry very seriously. We want to stimulate young minds about the exciting world of construction, and we are a founding partner Routes into Rail to help students learn about careers in rail and build connections across the sector.
In less than two years, our Education Ambassadors have visited 46 education establishments and attended 78 events, interacting with over 7,000 students and their parents. In 2023 alone, they spent over 680 hours engaging with students across England. This included 15mock interview days and 39 careers fairs.
Requesting our support
We continue to grow strong relationships with schools in the vicinity of our work sites and offices, offering curriculum support, help with careers events, mentoring, STEM support and more.
If you would like to request support from us then please complete our Education Engagement Re-quest form, providing as much information as you can.
We will endeavour to provide a response with 10 working days. Please note that you must be over 18 to complete this form, to ensure that we do not communicate directly with minors.
Work placements
We work with organisations to deliver meaningful mentoring to young people as they take their first steps into building their career.
We also offer year in industry placement opportunities for students in their second and third year of university. Students are embedded into team and provided with an insight into our company culture, and the opportunity to put what they have learnt through studies into practice.
In 2023, VolkerRail welcomed 19 work placement students and 8 year in industry students, each gaining a valuable insight into the rail sector.
Supporting local charities and communities
Our work has an impact on people lives, and whilst helping to enhance local transportation links, it is our goal to ensure that we leave a positive legacy with the communities in which we work.
Our corporate charities include Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, a local charity that helps to care for children and young adults with end of life support, and Railway Children, a national charity that supports vulnerable children. We also have long term relationships with several local charities and organisations, and our employees regularly take part in events.
In 2023, our people completed over 2,208 volunteering hours, 1,424 of these hours went towards community projects, clubs and charities.