Glasgow-based City Building is ending the year on a high following a flurry of award wins recognising the construction firm’s unique approach to corporate responsibility and diversity.
The company gained a total of seven accolades throughout 2017, including Diversity Star Performer and Recruitment of Talents and Youth at The Herald’s Diversity Awards, HR NETWORK’s Corporate Responsibility of the Year and Best Employer of the Year, and Glasgow’s Fairest Employer by the Glasgow Guarantee.
After coming to the rescue of endangered water voles living on a site in Easterhouse, and constructing roof-top habitats for the local swift population in Partick, City Building was also celebrated for its environmental work, walking away with the Green Champion Award at the Glasgow Business Awards.
City Building employees picked up a further four awards for individual abilities, including the UK’s Young Decorator of the Year which was won by apprentice Lisa Murphy at Johnstone’s Painter of the Year of Awards held last week.
With its trophy cabinet busier than ever, the year marks one of the most successful for City Building, which puts the promotion of diversity, social inclusion and community engagement at the heart of its core values and objectives.
Employing 20% of all female craft apprenticeships in Scotland and having women in 37% of all senior management roles, City Building is one of the country’s most diverse organisations.
Through its manufacturing division, Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBi) it also supports jobs for more than 120 people with disabilities, including those with learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairments, as well as creating employment opportunities for army veterans at its windows factory.
Outside of the workplace, City Building has continued to positively engage with Glasgow communities, raising more than £14,000 for local organisations throughout the year. Apprentices have also been lending a helping hand to local groups. Projects carried out by apprentices include redecorating the Glasgow Marie Curie Hospice free of charge, creating learning spaces in local schools and volunteering at foodbanks and Glasgow Life libraries, where they teach children to read.
Dr Graham Paterson, executive director at City Building said: “This past year has been monumental for City Building, with our achievements including the launch of our joint venture with Wheatley Group and a strong set of financial results which saw us return more than £9m to Glasgow City Council.
“These successes are testament to the core values which drive City Building forward, as well as the outstanding talent and hard work of our many employees.
“Securing employment opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds, encouraging our staff to take a role in protecting the environment and positively impacting the communities of Glasgow are central objectives which support our commercial strategies and it is fantastic to be recognised for these attributes.
“I am extremely proud of the direction the firm is taking and hopefully 2018 will yield further successes.”
In addition to winning a total of 11 awards at a company and individual levels, City Building was deemed a finalist in a further nine categories.
For more information on City Building please visit www.citybuildingglasgow.co.uk
