Tideway welcomes new 'returners' during Responsible Business Week
A new group of ‘returners’ has been welcomed to Tideway as the company launched its second programme aimed at supporting professionals who have taken a career break back into work.
The eight women are taking part in Tideway’s ‘returnship’ programme - run in partnership with Women Returners and Tideway contractors Amey, Ferrovial and Laing O’Rourke - which offers 12-week paid internships in departments across the project including Construction, Innovation, Quality and Commercial.
To mark their first day at Tideway the group met with the previous cohort of returners at a networking event, to hear about their experience getting back into the workplace.
The event was just one session organised by Tideway as part of this week’s Responsible Business Week, an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable business.
Julie Thornton, Head of HR at Tideway, said: “Our first returnship programme last year was a huge success, with all seven returners offered positions at Tideway after they completed the initial 12-week returnship. The scheme offers help and advice throughout, and is a great way of supporting highly experienced and able professionals back into work after a break.
“It’s apt that we welcome our new returners during Responsible Business Week as the returnship scheme is just one way we are demonstrating our commitment to leave behind a positive legacy in London. We look forward to our new returners joining their teams and bringing their skills and knowledge to Tideway.”
As well as welcoming the new returners, Tideway has been supporting Responsible Business Week by running a series of events including demonstrations of innovative and sustainable construction technology, foreshore clean-ups along the River Thames and the sale of old IT equipment for charity.
There were also talks on the legacy Tideway will leave in London – including the creation of 4,000 jobs and three new acres of public realm created next to the river.
John Sage, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Tideway, said: “While the Thames Tideway Tunnel will deliver obvious benefits for London in helping to protect the River Thames from sewage pollution, we are also determined that it will leave a bigger legacy for the capital.
“We are delighted to support Responsible Business Week and to showcase the many ways that Tideway is working towards this legacy – including the creation of thousands of jobs, building new areas of foreshore on the Thames and raising standards for both health and safety and skills training for river workers.”
Responsible Business Week is organised by Business in the Community. For more information visit www.bitc.org.uk/programmes/responsible-business-week