Landsec makes further investment
into social value with
Ahead Partnership expansion

Property development and investment company Landsec is deepening its commitment to social value, by further rolling out its school engagement programmes across nine of the UK’s leading shopping centres and retail outlets with Ahead Partnership.

The programmes will cover retail destinations across the UK from Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.

Landsec has worked with the ESG partner since 2015 on a variety of projects across its prime retail destinations. Through the partnership, 10,000 young people have been provided with opportunities, and over 400 Landsec employees have engaged in a number of mentoring, careers panels, school challenges and speed networking events to date.

Landsec is now enhancing the partnership further as part of Landsec Futures, a £20 million social impact fund which seeks to create a fairer, more equitable real estate industry in the UK by enhancing social mobility and delivering £200 million worth of social value by 2030.

The programmes include a variety of bespoke challenges and projects aimed at providing young people with the insight and confidence to further explore opportunities within the built environment and retail sectors.

The schools programmes have been created for Landsec by Ahead Partnership with its social value goals in mind. Its expansion nationwide highlights the success of the partnership, which prioritises quality engagement and long-term partnerships with local schools.

One of the programmes is ‘Made In…’, a challenge focused on community building, which invites young people from partner schools to explore the different places, spaces and uses for retail spaces in their local area. Following a series of workshops, young people are invited to present their ideas  to senior figures from Landsec and the local community.

In addition, the ‘Share your Spark’ mentoring programme in Yorkshire and Kent is a long-term initiative designed to empower young people within the local communities of the shopping centre to develop key skills such as communication and presentation.

As well as its own bespoke youth engagement programme, Landsec also supports Ahead Partnership’s Growing Talent Morley programme, which has helped the ESG partner to engage with 6,000 local young people to date.

Georgina Johnson Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership said: “It is wonderful that Landsec has committed to expand its programme with us. We have worked in partnership for a number of years which has allowed us to have a fantastic impact across the country, not only on a large geographical scale, but also through sustained, long-term local engagement.

“It’s testament to the success of the programme to date that Landsec has now re-launched in even more areas, meaning we are now reaching young people in England, Scotland, and Wales, showcasing opportunities within the retail and built environment sectors that are right on their doorsteps.

“The expansion is fantastic news and we look forward to working together to support the development of skills in these new locations, as well as continuing to provide support and guidance to young people within the communities in which we already operate.”

Jennie Colville, Head of ESG and Sustainability at Landsec said: “We know that our industry needs more diverse talent, specifically from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Landsec Futures and our work with Ahead Partnership seeks to address this challenge, engaging with young people from underrepresented backgrounds to raise awareness of the opportunities in real estate at the same time as supporting them to build their self-confidence and skills for the future.

“We hope that through this partnership, we can continue to build a diverse pipeline of talent for our sector ensuring we represent the communities we serve.”

To find out more about Ahead Partnership, visit: https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/.