Constructing Leicester

Employment and Skills Plans (ESPs) are now sought for all large scale major planning applications.

ESPSs seek to ensure that there are local employment and skills opportunities and benefits derived from construction projects that take place in the city.

Core Strategy Policy CS10 states "The city council will promote local labour agreements with developers to enable local people in deprived communities to secure employment and skills development."

Friars Mill employee profile

"Through supervising labourers and managing deliveries my liaison and negotiation skills have increased." - Albert Bates, Gatesman

Read more from Friars Mills (PDF)

Pre-construction and construction phase

Guidance for developers/contractors

An ESP will be sought for all large scale major planning applications as follows:

• Housing developments of 200 units or more, or site area four hectares or more
• Commercial developments with a floor space of 10,000 square metres or more, or site area two hectares or more

ESPs will be secured through either a condition or a section 106 agreement. For developments below the size mentioned above, applicants will be invited to develop and deliver an ESP as good practice but on a voluntary basis.

The Constructing Leicester employment and skills strategy sets out our requirement for ESPs to be embedded into the planning and procurement process for construction projects. We have received National Skills Academy for Construction accreditation, and though its Constructing Leicester Employment and Skills Strategy, has adopted industry agreed national benchmarks for its ESPs.

The strategy forms part of a suite of three documents:

• Employment and skills plan - strategy (PDF)
• Informal guidance note on employment and skills plan (PDF)
• Employment and skills plan for construction and post-construction projects (2018) (PDF)

Post-construction phase

Guidance for organisations owning/managing the developments

An ESP will be sought for post-construction activities, for example staff recruitment prior to new store opening.

• Employment and skills plan for construction and post-construction projects (2018) (PDF)

LIDL - employee profile

"The pre-employment programme helped me with my confidence and enabled me to approach interviews, filling out application forms better." - Kamaljit Kaur, Customer Assistant

Read more from LIDL (PDF)

Information for individuals

Find out more details about developments by selecting a case study below:

• Cathedral Gardens - case study (PDF)
• City Hall - case study (PDF)
• Leicester to Work - case study (PDF)

Educational and employment opportunities

Please use the links below to find opportunities and further information within the construction sector:

• Leicester Employment Hub
• Leicester College
• Connexions
• Jobcentre Plus
• DSM Demolition - case study presentation (PDF)
• Employer talk: Embedding employability in the curriculum - case study (PDF)
• Local students visit Southgates construction site (PDF)
• Soar Valley College students visit Welford Place development (PDF)
• Lewis Osborne - Caxton Builders (Midlands) Ltd (PDF)

Contact us

For more information about Constructing Leicester, please email Sandra Rieger at sandra.rieger@leicester.gov.uk, or call her on 0116 454 2942.

Alternatively, email Michael Rose at michael.rose@leicester.gov.uk or call him on 0116 454 2947.