Housebuilder Vistry has launched an employment and skills platform intended to widen access to jobs, apprenticeships and training for local residents across its developments in Waltham Forest.
The platform, goodwork.london, was developed by employment and skills specialist GoodPeople and is endorsed by Waltham Forest Council. It is designed as a single hub for the employment and training opportunities generated by Vistry's projects across the borough.
Residents can use the portal to find openings with Vistry and its supply chain; subcontractors, in turn, use it to advertise vacancies and to record employment outcomes. The stated aim is to strengthen local recruitment by ensuring opportunities are visible to Waltham Forest residents, and by improving collaboration between Vistry, its supply chain and local partners.
Opportunities from all three of Vistry's Waltham Forest developments will appear on the platform. Between them the three schemes are creating around 1,500 new homes, along with the employment, apprenticeship and training openings that come with construction at that scale.
The portal was formally launched to Vistry's supply chain at an event in July attended by around 30 supply chain organisations, together with representatives from GoodPeople and the council. The session introduced the platform's functionality and set out how supply chain partners will work together to maximise local employment and training opportunities.
Kevin Delve, Managing Director at Vistry East London, said the platform "represents an important step in ensuring local people benefit directly from investment in their area", adding: "Working with GoodPeople, Waltham Forest Council and our supply chain partners, we're introducing a more transparent and collaborative approach to delivering employment and training outcomes."
Joss Hunt, Co-founder and COO at GoodPeople, framed the problem in blunter terms. "Construction needs tens of thousands of new people every year, yet too many local residents, especially young people, still can't find a way in," he said. "GoodPeople's platform is built to close that gap: it gives every subcontractor on Vistry's Waltham Forest sites a simple way to hire locally."
Councillor Eva Tabbasam, Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said the portal "will help connect Waltham Forest residents to local construction jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities created through development in our borough".
Councillor Chanté Johnson, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, added: "We want local people to benefit from local investment, and the employment platform provides a simple and accessible way for residents to find work opportunities and build skills for the future."
