Speaker: Chris Armitage, Social Value Manager, Caval Limited
Chris Armitage: Good morning. My name is Chris Armitage. I'm from a company called Caval. I'm the Social Values Manager there. Caval are a specialist recruitment company dedicated to the construction industry. We've been in business now since 2008 and have a very good reputation for placing people on sites. My role as Social Value Manager is to add value to the contracts that we are carrying out for our client companies. It's about two main issues. One is to produce the actual figures for our client companies to tell them how much added value we are giving to their contracts. Secondly, it's about the community engagement that we need to be involved with. Since I've taken up my post nearly a year ago now. One of the biggest issues that we're looking at is placing people from what we're calling hard to reach groups. These are people that are either ex-military ex-offenders, longtime unemployed, people who have any issues with drug or alcohol abuse, and getting women back into employment in particular.
Tell us about the work you are doing and why it's so important
Chris Armitage: Since January 2024. 2024.
Chris Armitage: we have engaged with the DWP Department of Work and Pensions and also the Ministry of Justice who have an initiative to place prison leavers in the last six weeks of their term in prison into work. This work is important to us and he's one of the drivers for Caval. This year to make sure that we give people a second chance an give them an opportunity to contribute back to society and to get their feet on the first rung of the ladder back into the workplace. It's been proven that by giving people an opportunity to work, then it greatly reduces their reoffending potential
What impact has your work had on your clients and candidates
Chris Armitage: One of the biggest areas that we've been involved with is including our client partners. We've been working with them on a number of visits into schools to make the youngsters aware of their CV writing and also mock interview techniques. Giving them the idea of what is required to get their first job or job interview. We've been involved throughout West Yorkshire and partnering with some colleges to carry out the same sort of procedures. So this has been joint efforts with our clients, our local communities and our schools and colleges.
What do you have planned for the future?
Chris Armitage: Our future plans include more of what we've already been doing. That is the engagement with these hard to reach groups. It's important that we make sure that everybody has an opportunity, no matter what their educational achievements are, what their particular role in life has been, or what they are wanting to achieve. It's about providing the opportunity for all to get into the workplace, to feel self-worth and to progress if that's what they want to do.
