Developing People

At Morgan Lovell, our approach to learning and development is tailored specifically to the individual. We offer structured training programmes such as NVQs and professional qualifications but we also encourage our people to take responsibility for their own personal development. We are proud members of the 5% Club which means that we aim to have at least 5% of our workforce in sponsored education or working as part of a graduate scheme.

Across our divisions, the average number of training days per employee for 2022 was 4.5 - including an 86% increase in mental health training. A training day is made up of a minimum of six hours and we are working towards reaching our 2030 target of seven day per employee.

In a bid to tackle skills shortage in the industry, an ageing workforce and a lack of diversity across our workforce, the Foundation Programme was established in 2016. The two-year structured training scheme is in place across our fit out companies and we are set to welcome a further 28 'Foundationers' in 2023.

The Foundation Programme is a two-year structured training scheme aimed at apprentices, graduates and placement students. Foundationers will learn both technical and soft skills, in the classroom and on live project sites, under the guidance of mentors. Development progress reviews take place every six months and in the case of our apprentices, they will also complete a sponsored qualification at a local University or college.

Diversity is essential to Morgan Lovell's success as it fosters innovation and draws top talent. We embrace diversity in its widest scope, encompassing age, gender, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic background, disability and sexuality. Our inclusive culture welcomes individuals from all educational and social backgrounds. For more information about how we are constantly working to improve the diversity within both Overbury and the wider Morgan Sindall Group, please refer to our Gender Pay Gap report.

We recognise the importance of addressing diversity and inclusion issues in the construction industry and we are dedicated to doing so in various ways. This includes promoting flexible working patterns, operating an equal opportunities recruitment process, working with schools and colleges to encourage young people to consider construction as a career and providing a range of apprenticeship and professional qualification sponsorship programmes.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture where people feel welcome to seek employment opportunities regardless of their educational and social background, although we recognise that we must continue our efforts to increase our gender and ethnic diversity. We maintain national partnerships with Women into Construction and BPIC (Black Professionals in Construction). These networks help us reach a wider audience to share the benefits of a career in construction.

We are also working with the Leonard Cheshire charity through their Change 100 initiative to give students and graduates with disabilities the opportunity for summer placements. This initiative hopes to break down the barriers people with disabilities can experience in the workplace. It also helps us to continuously improve our processes and ensure we are an organisation that supports every part of society.

Morgan Lovell is proud to have a high retention rate, with 37% of employees staying with the company for six years or more. We are committed to internal growth and promotion - between 2021 and 2022, promotions increased from 35 within one year to 74. Building on this momentum, in 2023, 40 promotions have already been confirmed. This is a clear reflection on committing to our Core Values and belief that talented people are the key to our success.

Our Modern Slavery policy states our support of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and our commitment to the following human rights principles: diversity, non-discrimination, and non-harassment; prevention of human trafficking, forced labour and child labour; workplace health and safety; freedom of association; the adherence of our supply chain to the same human rights principles.