K10 is an award-winning Social Enterprise, which specialises in delivering employability support and apprenticeship opportunities, which are aligned to the construction programmes of property development schemes.

K10 promotes an innovative Apprenticeship Training Agency model, which tackles the key challenges that limit yield of apprenticeships offered – such as high levels of sub-contracting and compressed programmes – by directly employing and placing apprentices with a number of companies and work packages across multiple supply chains.

PRD supported K10 to develop and propose a business case, which enabled it to secure an innovative strategic delivery opportunity with the London Borough of Croydon. The business case was built around identifying and scoping the mutual benefits and impact that could be realised locally through a new collaborative model based around an ATA.

The Pathways to Employment (PtoE) Apprenticeship Training Agency was successfully launched by the Council, Elected Members and K10 in March 2014. PRD has since played an on-going role in supporting the development and mobilisation of PtoE.

PRD also undertook an independent, final evaluation of K10’s Hounslow Building Foundations Scheme, which was funded through London Councils European Social Fund co-financing programme. Through the innovative use of an ATA, pre-employment and employment programme, this scheme supported Hounslow residents who were excluded from the labour market into apprenticeships and sustainable employment in the construction industry.

“PRD demonstrated a clear understanding of the key challenges that limit the positive, local socio-economic impacts created by construction programmes. They offer a pragmatic, partnered approach to overcoming these challenges and place a real emphasis on supporting the public sector, private sector and wider stakeholders to work together effectively by providing the tools, roadmap and vision to make change happen."

Tom Storey, Director, K10 Apprenticeships Ltd