Property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood has bolstered its relationship with the UK Defence sector and its commitment to supporting armed service personnel, veterans and their families by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. Organisations that sign the Covenant can provide community support via employment, skills development and financial assistance.
Ingleton Wood’s growing team of defence and security specialists have provided multi-disciplinary design services for Ministry of Defence (MoD) estate projects for around a decade, ranging from architecture and building services to planning and sustainability.
Laura Mansel-Thomas, Senior Partner at Ingleton Wood, said: “We are proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and strengthen our commitment to service personnel by providing meaningful employment and work experience across our Practice that makes positive use of their broad and unique range of skills and experiences.
“It is a significant time for Ingleton Wood to sign the Covenant, with the scope and scale of our work across the defence sector increasing rapidly and making us even more aware of the role that veterans play in society and how we can support their transition to civilian life.”
Ingleton Wood has pledged to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:
- Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public
- Serving personnel: offering work placements to personnel – particularly the Royal Engineers – where this can help with their progression to Chartered status
- Veterans: supporting the employment of veterans and recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process. We will work with the Career Transition Partnership and other charitable organisations to support the employment of Service leavers, including through work experience placements where appropriate
- Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting additional paid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and deployment; actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists, all of which is evidenced in our Reserve Forces Policy
Architect and Partner Darren Fowler, who leads Ingleton Wood’s multi-disciplinary team of defence and security specialists, said: “The sector is becoming an increasingly significant part of what we offer across the UK to our clients and contractors, supporting the maintenance, development and optimisation of MoD estates, and other security related assets and establishments.
“These projects require a dedicated set of skills to manage a multi-disciplinary team to deliver a range of projects via a single source, while balancing UK and US regulations in an environment with an ever-changing mission where delivery and quality are critical.”
Ingleton Wood, which has been a Silver Investors in People company for over a decade, has also received the Bronze Award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).
The Defence ERS encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employers that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
Visit www.ingletonwood.co.uk/defence.php to learn more about Ingleton Wood’s defence and security services, as well as project case studies.
Ingleton Wood is one of the largest property and construction consultancies covering Central England, East Anglia, London and the South East, with offices in Colchester, Norwich, Cambridge, Billericay, Oxford and London. Its services include architecture, building surveying, building services engineering, planning, interior design, civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying, project management, and health and safety.
Laura Mansel-Thomas, Senior Partner, and Darren Fowler, Partner, sign the Armed Forces Covenant for Ingleton Wood. Copyright/credit: Ingleton Wood