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are typically infrastructure projects and are consistent regardless of the wider economic environment .
“ Today , the Civils , Living and Build divisions operate under Esh Construction and sit within the broader corporate structure . Whereas Homes by Esh , our private housing business , has essential support from the larger group but operates independently .”
Discussing Esh Construction ’ s civils division specifically , Andy explains : “ Our Civils division also houses the Esh-Stantec Joint Venture , which underpins our non-cyclical revenue .
“ We have a tremendous ongoing collaboration with Stantec , working in partnership with Northumbrian Water , which has taken us into the design and build arena . We formed the joint venture in 2015 to deliver capital schemes through Northumbrian Water ’ s AMP6 Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Framework .
“ The Esh-Stantec joint venture has enabled us to take on a wide range of new opportunities ,” he details . Esh-Stantec has recently been appointed as the design and build contractor for a £ 6.4-million scheme , for instance , which will extend and upgrade the Northumbrian Water wastewater treatment works in Kelloe , County Durham .
Despite Esh being a large organisation , Andy strives to retain the family feel and community focus typically associated with smaller firms . “ We ’ re constantly considering how we can enhance the communities in which we work , whether that be socially or environmentally ,” he states . “ The biggest thing is engagement ; we actively sponsor worthy causes , for instance , taking part in volunteering or ‘ clean up ’ days , and donating to local food banks amongst many other initiatives that leave a lasting legacy in the communities in which we work .
“ We ’ re confident that we ’ re ahead of the curve in terms of sustainability , but we must continuously reinvent the ways in which we can deliver additional value through sustainable practices . So , we ’ ve developed a carbon reduction plan and we ’ re adopting science-based targets as we move forward on our journey to net zero by 2040 .
“ We ’ re passionate about education and raising awareness of the potential career options within the construction industry . We run numerous schemes that engage with schools and colleges , providing young people with opportunities to facilitate a career in construction . There ’ s also inevitably a big push for apprenticeships across all divisions of the business . In fact , eight per cent of our current workforce are apprentices or in sponsored further or higher education .
“ We ’ re a big business , but feel like a local one ,” he proposes . “ We also run several schemes tailored towards unemployed people , offering education or training to further their personal development . This provides them with the initial skills and assets required to even step foot on a construction site , like CSCS cards , for example .”
Referring to industry-wide skills shortages , Andy explains : “ Attracting new talent into
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