JN Bentley is delighted to have been awarded gold membership of The 5% Club for the second year running, following the annual Employer Audit Scheme. As one of just 119 gold standard employers, JN Bentley is proud to continually support early careers and development opportunities, recognising a long-standing tradition of investing in apprenticeships, placements, and graduate schemes. The 5% Club is a dynamic movement of employers committed to providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities through apprenticeships, sponsored student course placements and graduate training schemes as part of building and developing the workforce they need for the future. The Club exists to help its members and all employers to further increase the number, quality and range of earn and learn opportunities across the UK. In joining The 5% Club, members aspire to achieve at least 5% of their workforce in ‘earn and learn’ positions – including apprentices, sponsored students and graduates on formalised training schemes. Over 10% of JN Bentley’s workforce are currently employed in these roles across the company, with 129 new starters joining the organisation throughout 2023 – a number that will continue to increase with the growth of the business. Following the announcement, Judith Jeffery, HR Director, said, "We are pleased to have maintained our gold membership with The 5% Club – an achievement that belongs to all of us at JN Bentley. It represents our collective advocacy and investment in supporting those at the start of their careers in construction and engineering. "Progress and excellence are key principles at JN Bentley, so providing young people with the opportunity to develop into the professionals of the future is both a business and social imperative." Helen Bradford, Lead Learning and Development Advisor, added, "Our early careers programme continues to grow, providing a valuable gateway into the industry, helping apprentices, placement students and graduates establish and build fulfilling careers. "The 5% Club is the kitemark of responsible employers - gold membership is a fantastic achievement and really highlights our dedication to our people and recognises us as a top early careers employer in the UK." Within the last year JN Bentley is pleased to have also been awarded the Advanced People Experience Pioneer Summit Award, in the People Experience Excellence category, for its leading approach to performance management. Find out more here. Find and follow JN Bentley on socials – LinkedIn, X (formerley Twitter), and Facebook – to keep up with the latest news from across the business.

Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) has secured a five-year contract extension with Thames Water, taking the current agreement between the two organisations through to the conclusion of AMP8, in March 2030. The news means that fully integrated design-and-construct organisation MMB will continue to build on the strong foundations established with Thames Water since original contract award at the beginning of AMP7. Thames Water is the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, serving 15 million customers across London and Thames Valley. MMB is delivering work on three frameworks in the region, which sees the company undertake a varied programme of water and wastewater non-infrastructure and infrastructure projects to improve the network. Upon news of the contract award, director Anthony Nutty commented, “It is excellent to learn that MMB has achieved a five-year extension to its three framework agreements with Thames Water. “AMP7 marked the beginning of the first ever framework agreements between MMB and Thames Water. We’re pleased with the progress we have made to date, building strong relationships with a new client and delivering some excellent schemes. “It’s a demonstration of MMB’s ability to establish itself in new parts of the country, bringing with it its unique approach to delivery as it supports its clients to deliver important projects that improve the network and enhance the environment. “We’re excited for what the remainder of AMP7 holds, and then look forward to continuing our work together with Thames Water through AMP8.” MMB continues to build its team in the Thames Valley region and is currently looking to recruit across a variety of roles including construction operatives, project leaders, civil engineers and site agents. All current vacancies are available on MMB’s careers website.