VGC Group
VGC is a leading recruitment partner to the UK infrastructure industry, focused on uniting talent and expertise to deliver success for all.
Our unwavering commitment to uphold the highest standards in delivery, sustainability, collaboration, innovation and ethical business has led to VGC being a leading recruitment partner to Tier One clients across the UK and beyond.
We are recognised for our expertise in providing the full recruitment solutions to major construction projects, including railways, highways, airports and power stations – from trades and labour through to professional and technical roles. We focus on safety, quality and sustainability in our operations, all aligned with industry best practice.
The Challenge
VGC Group has been a key player in major UK infrastructure projects, including the 2012 Olympics, Sellafield, the Elizabeth Line, and HS2. The company provides recruitment solutions (from trades and labour through to technical and managerial roles) to top contractors, with a strong focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations. Given the increasing importance of social value in public procurement legislation, VGC needed a comprehensive and standardised way to demonstrate its commitment to ESG principles to its clients.
The Solution
Secure Social Sustainability
Become CHAS Verified
Assess Data and Practices
Demonstrate Sustainability to Clients
To address this challenge, VGC sought and secured the CHAS Social Sustainability verification, becoming the first UK company to achieve this milestone. Covering 15 ESG topics, the CHAS Verification provided a robust framework to measure and demonstrate progress in social and environmental sustainability. The independent verification process involved a thorough assessment of VGC’s data and practices by experienced social and environmental auditors.
Christina Donaghey, Social Impact Manager at VGC, explains: “The CHAS Social Sustainability Verification is a comprehensive solution that encapsulates our efforts in various ESG areas. It allows us to demonstrate our maturity to clients through a single, robust verification.”
Christina comments: “What was unique about CHAS Social Sustainability is that it was assessed by experts,” Donaghey adds. “It’s definitely not a tick box exercise and the robust approach adds weight to the validity of the accreditation. When you’re told that you’re a level five on a topic, it really means something.”
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The Outcome
In July 2024, VGC achieved level five (influencer) status in multiple ESG areas, including social value, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and modern slavery prevention. This accreditation has allowed VGC to streamline its ESG credentials, offering a single, comprehensive verification to clients instead of multiple individual accreditations.
Peter Ball, VGC’s Director – Legal, governance & compliance, was also involved in securing the CHAS accreditation.
“We pride ourselves on operating ethically and transparently at VGC, which has resulted in our status as a partner of choice for all major contractors across the UK who rely on us to provide temporary labour with exceptional governance and compliance in place,” he says.
Ball agrees that the process was far more than the usual tick-box exercise, with the temporary labour management section especially rigorous.
“VGC were assessed and audited by subject matter experts who clearly had an in-depth knowledge of recruitment practices, pay types, holiday calculation and HMRC tax compliance,” he adds. “The level of detail and document review the assessors went into to satisfy themselves before awarding influencer or embedded status in the ESG categories was unprecedented. Yet I am pleased that VGC were assessed thoroughly by such experts in their field that, in my mind, has ensured the credibility of the accreditation internally with our colleagues and externally with our major contractor clients both in the UK and abroad.”
The CHAS accreditation has provided VGC with valuable feedback and a detailed improvement plan, particularly in enhancing their environmental strategies. Christina explains: ” Working in the business of recruitment services, we don’t have control of site operations, supply plant or maintain a big supply chain. We have ambitions to go Net Zero by 2040 and will deliver this through measures that we can control such as local employment, fuel consumption management, electric fleets, renewable energy sources, and training and development. The CHAS accreditation process has given us constructive ways to improve, helping us form a more overarching ESG strategy.”
Christina emphasises the collaborative nature of their social value initiatives, saying: “The most successful social value initiatives come from real collaboration between the client and the supply chain. For example, we have clients that are really brilliant at ringfencing entry-level jobs, so that we can support people from hard-to-reach and under represented groups to gain employment in these roles. That drives so much social value in the local area.”
Conclusion
The CHAS Social Sustainability verification has not only recognised VGC Group’s longstanding commitment to social value but also provided a pathway for continuous improvement in ESG practices. Christina Donaghey sums up the impact of the accreditation: “CHAS Social Sustainability is great because it’s a robust solution. It sets a standard and shows our expertise, and it has genuinely driven us to challenge and improve ourselves.”
This accreditation has helped to position VGC as a leader in social sustainability within the UK construction industry, enabling the company to better serve its clients and the community while continuously enhancing its ESG strategies.
