GAP Hire Solutions gives support to VIY to help young people learn vocational trade skills and gain work experience whilst refurbishing community spaces – partnership brokered by ESA member Reg&Co.
GAP Hire Solutions is supporting social enterprise VIY (Volunteer it Yourself) to help young people develop and apply new vocational trade skills whilst refurbishing community spaces and places in need of urgent improvements. GAP Hire Solution’s support covers the ongoing provision, via its national network of hire centres, of specialist construction equipment needed to help enable VIY projects across the country. The new partnership has been brokered by sponsorship agency Reg&Co and helps celebrate GAP’s 50th anniversary last year.
One of the first VIY projects to receive support from GAP will be the All Stars Boxing Club in west London. Work at the club will include refurbishing the changing rooms and training space, as well as the creation of a new community café area, and GAP is providing access towers to enable safe working at heights. The All Stars project is also being supported by existing VIY partners Sport England and Dulux.
VIY is targeted at young people who are disengaged from mainstream education and training, or at risk of disengagement, and/or unemployed – and since VIY’s launch in 2011, 10,000+ young people have volunteered at 500+ VIY projects UK-wide, supported by 1,000+ trade skills mentors (professional tradespeople). Outcomes include 40% of all participants gaining an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds skills qualification and 30% of participants aged 16+ achieving an education, training or employment progression.
Tim Reading, co-founder and CEO of VIY, commented:
“GAP’s support will have a significant impact in helping to offset costs on VIY projects. Also, the involvement of GAP, as a major construction sector employer, will help add value to our projects as real work experience for young people – and it would be great to see future VIY participants applying for and progressing to job opportunities with GAP post their VIY experience.”
Chris Parr, COO of GAP Hire Solutions, commented:
“GAP is always keen to support the local communities we operate within. When the opportunity arose to support this project, we were delighted to get involved knowing that we would be helping introduce young people to the construction industry which offers a broad range of exciting career opportunities.
GAP has always been passionate about developing young people and we commit significant resources to our long-established apprenticeship programme which operates across our entire business. We are also proud members of The 5% Club, whereby we aspire to have at least 5% of our workforce in apprenticeship positions, giving young people a fighting chance at starting their career in the industry.”
GAP Hire Solutions was founded in 1969 and has over 140 locations strategically placed across the UK, with ten divisions offering a wide range of hire equipment and services. Traditionally known for plant and tool hire, GAP moved into hiring non-mechanical plant, such as fencing and barriers in 2009 and established their Lifting Hire and Sales division in 2011.
In 2014, GAP diversified further and launched their Welfare Services, Event Services, Survey and Safety Hire and Vehicle Hire divisions. 2019 saw the creation of its Trenching and Shoring division, with the tenth division, Tanker Services, being launched in early 2020 to offer their customers a complete hire solution under the one GAP umbrella.
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Notes to editors:
Contact GAP
Karen Greenshields
Karen.greenshields@gap-group.co.uk
07890 252 617
Contact VIY
Tom Hague
Tom@teamviy.com
07813 141035
Reg&Co Ltd is a sponsorship and brand partnership agency in London.
Contact Reg&Co Ltd
Karen Morris
karen@regandco.com
020 7482 6635
