It’s been an impressive year for us at GMG Contractors in 2022, with some notable milestones such as becoming the first SME construction company to achieve the Platinum Investors in Young People award – one of only seven organisations in Scotland to gain this prestigious accreditation.
2022 saw our company pick up several significant contracts, which reinforces our strong reputation in the housing market and enables us to support young people coming into the industry – we currently employ more than 15 apprentices who are gaining skills in a wide range of trades.
One of the biggest contracts we have worked on this year is the five-year, £2 million per year refurbishment of 550 local authority properties over North Lanarkshire, bringing improvements to residents’ quality of life and – thanks to the installation of external wall insulation and solar panels – helping to reduce their energy bills.
We were so proud of the work we do within communities across Scotland that we launched our first video, ‘Changing lives in a changing world, at the end of the summer. Check out our exclusive drone footage of this project.
Among all of our contract wins in 2022, the one we were particularly proud of was from South Lanarkshire Council, to repair and restore three blocks of buildings in Rutherglen damaged by fire, where we managed to get residents home for Christmas. We were also excited to win a contract for a full external renovation and energy-saving insulation at ten blocks of flats at Dumbryden.
GMG also progressed in the private sector, gaining a number of wins from various house builders to carry out a mixture of render works and roofing works.
We look forward to giving you an update on various projects in the new year.
Safety is a big issue in the construction industry, so we were delighted to be awarded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) President’s award, which recognises our long-standing commitment to safety at work. We have been recognised for operating safely for 14 years and the new President’s award follows on from GMG’s 13 consecutive RoSPA Gold Medal awards and NFRC Safety in Roofing Gold Excellence awards.
We will not stop here. GMG is dedicated to the continual development of our expanding workforce and will ensure all employees have regular training on health and safety responsibilities for themselves and the team as a whole.
This year we have been focusing on the wellbeing of our employees and trained two ‘GMG Listeners’ as the company’s first ever Mental Health First Aiders. These volunteers are trained to listen to colleagues who may need support, and we plan to roll out the training to others next year.
At GMG, we have a long-running apprenticeship programme to give young people, often from the local communities, the chance to gain valuable skills: 90% of our apprentices are recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also encourage young people to enter the construction industry through our school engagement programme. This year, like previous years, GMG provided work experience to pupils across Scotland, offering them hands-on skills and insight into the trades in the hope the experience encourages them to consider a career in construction.
Speaking of careers in construction, 2022 has also seen two of GMG’s youngest quantity surveyors take on a new endeavour at Glasgow Caledonian University, one undertaking an MSc degree and the other a BA (Hons) degree. Both of these young people are excited to progress in their careers with GMG and we are looking forward to watching them achieve their goals.
Looking back on our progress during the year, Gerry McGinn CEO said: “We are happy to be growing our reputation in Scotland’s private and social housing sectors, and are excited about our work in-house which benefits our team’s wellbeing and career progression.
“We are delighted to continue to support the communities we work in, particularly bringing young people into the construction sector and equipping them with the skills and training to provide great careers for their futures.”
