Company sets gold standard at awards

A North Lanarkshire company has received an accreditation award for its “high standards of excellence”in meeting the council’s employer charter.

Housebuilding contractor Mctaggart Construction earned a gold award.

It recognises the firm’s work in honouring the charter’s commitments to employ North Lanarkshire residents, pay all staff the real living wage, use local businesses in the supply chain, and ensure fair work practices which attract and retain employees.

Mctaggart Construction is currently building social housing at various North Lanarkshire sites, and has worked with young people and school staff as they make“great efforts to meet or even exceed their community benefits targets”.

The company has worked with teachers and support staff to adapt learning material and taken part in employer engagement sessions with additional support schools, helping pupils achieve official construction skills accreditation and working to help young people gain further training and move into employment.

North Lanarkshire provost Kenneth Duffy met representatives of the company to present its accreditation, saying:“congratulations to everyone involved in the awards, which recognise their commitment to investing in employees, being a positive employer and a responsible business. The Employer Charter delivers benefits for both employers and employees as well as supporting our continuing work to develop a sustainable, diverse economy in North Lanarkshire.”

Businesses which achieve two or more of the four commitments receive bronze, silver or gold accreditation from the free charter scheme; more information is available at northlanarkshiresworking.co.uk/ the-nl-employer-charter/

More than 30 companies have been recognised through the scheme, with the latest awards coming as the council announced economic growth of 5.2 per cent in the five years since its Plan for North Lanarkshire was launched.

A series of reports recently presented to the authority’s policy and strategy committee highlighted that gross weekly pay is now higher than the national average and the number of working-age people claiming employment benefits has reduced by seven per cent since 2019.

Councillors were told:“investment in North Lanarkshire continues to be high, with the region attracting more international investment than any other local authority in Scotland over the last two years with more than £100 million overseas investment secured.”

They also noted a wide range of further“key achievements”including a record high of 94.7 per cent of school leavers entering further and higher education, training or employment; improved connectivity through provision of 340km of ultrafast, full-fibre internet cabling; and becoming the first Scottish council to offer a dedicated workspace for female-led start-ups with the opening of Airdrie centre The Hive.