Entrepreneurship Foundation:

Set up in 2015, as part of Saint-Gobain’s 350 year celebrations the Entrepreneurship Foundation aims to support small businesses in the construction industry and help accelerate their growth to help meet the demands of a developing, dynamic and innovative construction industry.

The Foundation provides an annual cohort of small business leaders with practical, business and management skills. It is delivered in conjunction with the Construction Industry Training Board [CITB] and the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurships and each business leader is provided with a business mentor. Those who complete the programme receive a professional diploma in Entrepreneurship after the 6 month, e-learning, residential and face-to-face Foundation course.

Since 2015 47 small business leaders have been supported by the Foundation.

To learn more about the Foundation, read the Foundation info pack here.

Annually, Saint-Gobain UK and Ireland contribute over £2m into the Apprenticeship Levy.

This can be used to pay for approved Apprenticeship Training for employees working in England. Up to 25% of our annual levy contribution can be passed on to our customers and suppliers to support the development of their employees through Apprenticeship Standards.

Our priorities in particular are to increase the take-up of traditional skills and plug the skills gap in UK construction in areas such as:

 Plastering and Interior Systems, External Facades’, Fenestration and Glazing or Quantity Surveying

Or to develop vital new skills or new methods of construction such as:

Digital design (BIM), Manufacturing of Construction Components, On-site Assembly and Installation

If you want to know how you could work with Saint-Gobain please contact your Saint-Gobain contact to find out more about accessing our funding for Apprenticeships’ or email us using the 'Contact Us' box below.

We established the Saint-Gobain’s Future Place Academy through our partnership with Barnardo’s, to deliver construction-focussed community and industry training in Lewisham. The partnership helps to provide young, disadvantaged people in east London with practical construction skills and help to link them with employers.

The Academy opened in 2018 and has already delivered dry-lining training and skills to 30 young adults not in employment, education or training (NEETs). Places on the Academy are aimed towards young care leavers who are who are supported as part of Barnardo’s Building Hope programme, where the charity provides tailored one-to-one support in the centre, as well as a supported lodging service helping young people into sustained independence and independent living.

The Academy programme will be further extended with Youthbuild, a well – respected charity who Saint-Gobain have partnered with successfully in the USA and South Africa.

The Saint-Gobain Multi Comfort Visitor Centre provides a space that enables a visitor to experience what Multi Comfort buildings feel like. Showcasing a variety of products and solutions, visitors can explore new innovations and experience first-hand how a better-built environment can improve people’s comfort and daily lives.

Located in the heart of London on Great Portland Street, the centre provides those with an interest in comfort and wellbeing with an engaging and interactive platform for networking, learning and discussion.

Visitors can experience Multi Comfort buildings using virtual reality headsets and experience a home, office, school and hospital.

Training Tuesdays:

Our CPD Training Tuesday events give you a regular opportunity to continue your professional development. Covering a wide range of construction and built environment-related topics, you can combine progression with breakfast, lunch or after work canapés.

Networking Nights:

We hold regular Networking Nights which allow professionals in construction and the built environmental the chance to share knowledge and ideas with each other in an informal way with a wide variety of guest speakers talking about about relevant industry issues. Each night focuses on a new topic, so you can combine keeping up to date with current issues with after-work drinks and canapés.

Meetings

The Saint-Gobain Multi Comfort Visitor Centre also hosts businesses, charities and other organisations involved in construction and provides a collaborative work, meeting and events space.

Workspaces include three meeting rooms and an events space, which allows for a variety of different types of activates.