The 2020 Mowlem Award has been won by EN:Able Communities, the charitable arm of Efficiency North, which will spend the money delivering entry-level remote construction training to 121 young people and those wishing to change careers. Designed to comply with coronavirus restrictions the training programme will work in areas with extremely high levels of youth unemployment and is also focused on encouraging more females into construction. The Mowlem Award is an annual £20,000 grant given to organisations to help make a real difference towards better training or the promotion of health and safety in construction.
Judges of the award were impressed by EN:Able Communities’ plan to deliver the training over a 12-month period, giving the students the required skills and knowledge to gain a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card required to work on construction sites. The charity has a proven track record of helping people find work through the Humber Construction Hub, which gave 767 people opportunities and experience of the industry, including 316 who gained employment, with 259 achieving the minimum 12 weeks.
Two other organisations, St Mungo’s and Bounce Back Foundation, were both highly commended by Mowlem Award judges and each received a grant of £5,000.
Nicola Sinclair, spokesperson for B&CE’s Charitable Trust, said: “This year we have had a record number of applications for the Mowlem Award, which only made it more difficult for the trustees to choose the winner of the Mowlem award, although we are delighted to have also been able to make smaller awards to two highly commended entrants.
“We were very impressed with the winning application from EN:Able Communities as it will not only offer much-needed support to deprived communities but will provide a great service to the construction industry, which is always in need of bright new talent. B&CE’s Charitable Trust has a rich history of supporting the industry and those who make their living from it and we are very excited to see the outcome of what promises to be a hugely beneficial project.”
Simeon Perry, head of operations at EN:Able Communities, said: “We are thrilled to receive this award. It is particularly important to us because it has been such a difficult year for social and business organisations and a couple of our funders have rescinded their contributions, meaning we have had to apply for grants such as this one.
“The work is very important to the citizens of the area as youth unemployment has rocketed. Hull in particular has been cited as one of the worst areas in the country for youth unemployment. The opportunity to support people into an industry where there is a defined need for talent is a fantastic one.”
Read the full case study on the B&CE website here.