passed for press, or provide clear instructions if amendments are required. You are very welcome to email your comments to us at ian.blaza@queensawardsmagazine.com (this is our preferred option) or else you can call us on 01536 520654
QUEEN’S AWARD MAGAZINE We have produced the following editorial to the best of our understanding of your require- ments, and using the text & materials you have kindly supplied to us. Would you please care
in the Index of Contributors If you have also ordered an enhanced entry to be placed in the Index of Contributors, then a proof of your logo is shown here on the right. Note that, for technical reasons, the size of entry in the printed product may vary slightly from that shown here. This option will also include your full contact details, as used on the editorial entry and proofed below here.
PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY (THROUGH SOCIAL MOBILITY)
Company Description in the ‘List of Winners’ preceeding the section, for checking: Willmott Dixon Willmott Dixon is a privately owned national construction and fit-out company that believes it has a purpose beyond profit
Grant Thornton UK LLP
Increasing social mobility is a practical way for a business to make a difference, to do well by doing good, while increasing workforce diversity. At Grant Thornton, social mobility is a core element within our broader inclusivity agenda, and we are delighted that our long-standing commitment to this issue has been recognised with a Queen’s Award. Our purpose is to shape a vibrant economy where business and people can flourish and key to this is creating a firm where opportunity is open to all. We started our social mobility journey over five years ago, with a vision for the firm to be more representative of all levels of society. The battle for talent is fierce and looking at the senior leaders in our business we realised many of them would not have made it past our old academic entry requirements and that our lack of flexibility was likely to be limiting our access to great talent. Therefore, in 2013, we dramatically rethought our approach to hiring at trainee level. We were the first professional services firm to remove academic entry requirements as a barrier and around 20% of the students who joined us at trainee level in 2017 would have previously been unable to apply before these changes. We introduced online platforms that provide support around applying for jobs and interview. We also provide coaches at every step of the process to support students, and provide feedback after every interview regardless of outcome. Yet we know there is more to do. We are now looking at pay and progression to ensure that we are not only levelling access to those from more diverse backgrounds at entry level, but that they are being treated equally throughout their career at Grant Thornton. We want to see widespread progress and it is not enough to simply make changes yourself; collaboration and the sharing of ways in which others can play their part is vital. It’s heartening that so many of our people, as To be recognised by the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for something we feel so passionate about is amazing! It’s an important part of a journey we’ve been on since being founded in 1852, where our belief then, as it is now, is that our purpose goes beyond profit. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, to improve the well-being of society. This is typified by the actions of our people. Last year 80 per cent of our workforce – over 2,000 people – took part in a community activity to improve the lives of others. This included helping to upskill 1,471 young people, delivering workshops to 32,000 students and supporting homeless people and ex-offenders to find work. The aim is always to make a difference; 1% of our people’s time is spent away from the ‘day job’ of building great places and is instead involved in initiatives to enhance the lives of those less fortunate. It is something we encourage through our Foundation, with everyone having the ability to take three days off for community work. This is one reason people like working for us; they can change other people’s lives for the better. As the fifth generation to lead Willmott Dixon, I am proud of the difference we make to people’s lives and our aim is to improve the life chances of 10,000 people by 2020. We measure that on impact to their lives, not merely on how many things we do. While it is easy to focus on the statistics, it is the stories of real people who have gained skills, careers and opportunities they would not have had that means the most to me. That is why an accolade like a Queen’s Award for Enterprise is so important; it allows our people to appreciate what they have Willmott Dixon
Grant Thornton has developed its trainee programme to be more inclusive.
well as clients and stakeholders, are keen to engage with this issue and we are committed to helping others understand what they can do to make a difference. GRANT THORNTON UK LLP 30 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AG • Tel: +44 (0)20 7383 5100 www.grantthornton.co.uk Z @GrantThorntonUKLLP F Grant Thornton LLP z @grantthorntonuk
lease note that the final layout of this material may vary slighty from that shown here, to suit the final design of the page it is included on. No further proofs will be sent after approval unless requested. This proof is supplied in format and resolution suitable for email; if you require a high-resolution version, or would prefer it in an alternative format - such as a JPG image – then please contact us on ian.blaza@queensawardmagazine .
More than 2,000 of Willmott Dixon’s workforce took part in an initiative in 2017 to improve the life chances of other people, and plans are in place to increase this further in future.
WILLMOTT DIXON Spirella 2, Icknield Way, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 4GY Tel: +44 (0)1462 671852 • Fax: +44 (0)1462 681852 • www.willmottdixon.co.uk Z @WillmottDixon
achieved and spurs us all on to achieve even more. Rick Willmott, Group Chief Executive, Willmott Dixon
Queen’s Awards Magazine 2018
107
lease note that the final layout of this material may vary slighty from that shown here, to suit the final design of the page it is included on. No further proofs will be sent after approval unless requested. This proof is supplied in format and resolution suitable for email; if you require a high-resolution version, or would prefer it in an alternative format - such as a JPG image – then please contact us on ian.blaza@queensawardmagazine .
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog