Bringing social value to life

We have an ambitious target to create £25m of social value through our community programmes by 2025. This allows us to quantify the difference our programmes make in the communities where we operate across the UK.

Beyond the numbers, our new film tells the stories of the people directly impacted by our programmes.

Hear from the people involved with our programmes

Here’s three reasons why we run our programmes:

1) To help overlooked communities overcome barriers to employment

We’re proud to be partnered with charities to support some of the most excluded groups into training and employment, including ex offenders, young people not in education, employment or training, and people experiencing homelessness.

The positive impact created for people through these programmes, which we’re quantifying through our social value target, is testament to the power of giving opportunities to those that need them most.

A job has great value. It provides a sense of belonging and helps us feel like we’re contributing something positive to society. A route to employment isn’t easy for everyone to find and businesses can be a powerful force in helping to remove barriers and give more people the opportunity to achieve their full potential."

Colette O'Shea

Managing Director, London and Retail Portfolios

Along with other excluded groups, we know that ex-offenders face significant barriers to finding work after leaving prison. By working with charities such as Bounce Back, we’re able to give opportunities to people to turn around their lives and enter sustainable employment.

When I first came out of jail, I got into trouble a couple of times, I got arrested. Then, I came to Bounce Back and I was on my route to work. It’s basically helped me fix my life around."

Onu

Bounce Back trainee who now works for their social enterprise.

There’s also a wider societal benefit. Bounce Back estimates that re-offending costs the UK economy £15 billion every year. Through our construction and facilities management training academies in London and Leeds, the reoffending rate decreases to 12% compared with the national average of 50%.

2) To inspire young people about our industry and equip them with the skills they need to succeed

An estimated 792,000 of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds aren't in education, employment or training.

We believe businesses play an essential role in preparing young people for life beyond school, opening their eyes to the world of work and giving them the confidence and skills to achieve their ambitions.

We run sustainability and property focused programmes in London, Portsmouth, Oxford and Leeds for local students to gain an exciting insight into our industry, as well as providing study space and mentoring for young people at our Head Office each week. 

Last year, 295 young people from state schools took part in our programmes, with 97% feeling more prepared for the labour market. 
 

Being part of Made in Portsmouth has pushed me to be so much more open, so much better at talking to people. It’s really helped my confidence and I’d never have been able to do something like this without it."

Student

Trafalgar School speaking at the Made in Portsmouth trade day

3) To empower our own workforce

As well as supporting local people and communities, our programmes also benefit our own business.

We encourage our people to volunteer with our charity partners and local schools, using their professional skills and expertise to provide meaningful support whilst developing their own skills. We’re partnered with LandAid, the property industry’s charity who aim to end youth homelessness, to give pro-bono advice to charities supporting vulnerable people across the UK.

Last year, over half our employees volunteered their time in support of our employment and education programmes, equating to over £163,000 of social value.

To have these opportunities drop into your inbox, to be able to do something different, to have a completely different impact - that’s such a good opportunity for everyone at Landsec."

Al Walker

Landsec employee and volunteer at The Cardinal Hume Centre

Our programmes don’t just empower and upskill our existing workforce, they also allow us to bring exciting new talent into our business.

Knowing that a more diverse business is a more successful business, we’re proud that our social sustainability programmes help people from all backgrounds to access opportunities in our industry. This enables us to have a greater social impact in the communities where we operate.