Lendlease and the community

Lendlease Shared Value Partnerships

Lendlease actively supports the community through our Shared Value Partnerships.

To find out more about our ambitious target to create $250million of social value and the how we are engaging the community in our regions across the globe, visit our Social Value Page

Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (CCWP) - Americas

Launched in 2019, Lendlease and Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (CCWP) have been working to promote workforce development initiatives in the construction industry in Chicago, US. Lendlease established a fund with the aim to remove barriers and to create economic opportunities for job seekers in the construction trades. The fund also supports training programs with CCWP’s affiliated organizations such as Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and Revolution Workshop. These efforts are generating awareness about the construction trades, creating a pipeline of new skilled tradespeople and generating pathways for employment.

Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and Non-traditional Employment for Women (NEW) - Americas

Lendlease is generating economic prosperity through its workforce development efforts by promoting more women in the trades. In 2020, Lendlease launched two external partnerships with Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and Non-traditional Employment for Women (NEW). Pathways to employment in the construction sector are often challenging for women due in part to the complexity of the workforce development ecosystem. Working together with CWIT and NEW, Lendlease strives to create employment pathways with advancement opportunities for women interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry.

HIRE 360 - Americas

The success with the barrier reduction fund created with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership has led Lendlease to explore additional workforce development partnerships to broaden the reach in connecting construction job seekers with employment in Chicago. In 2020, Lendlease launched a new barrier reduction fund to offset employment costs and to provide supportive services for job seekers with HIRE360, a workforce development organization made up of construction industry-wide partners. HIRE360 focuses on community-connected employment by serving as a hub for job candidates, apprenticeship schools and employers. The organization is a one-stop shop for job seekers to receive supportive services, to enroll in training and to connect with employers in the trades.

ACE Mentor - Americas

ACE Mentor, a nationwide non-profit that harnesses the interest of young people pursuing careers in architecture, construction and engineer for more than 25 years. Since 2005, Lendlease employees have mentored and volunteered their time with more than 600 high school students across our gateway cities. Several ACE alumni have even become Lendlease employees. In 2019, Lendlease Foundation (LLF) through its External Partnerships program supported ACE in the re-design of their educational curriculum to help guide mentors in developing lesson plans for students. Most recently LLF External Partnerships funded the development of ACE’s student resources portal on their website. Partnership efforts such was the one with ACE are building the future generations of designers, developers and builders we need to create the best places to live, work and play in.

LivingWorks - Americas

The wellbeing of our employees and the people in the communities where we have a presence is a social focus in Lendlease’s Global Sustainability Framework. As such, Lendlease is extending mental health and suicide prevention initiatives beyond employees and providing programs to tradespeople on our project sites and the larger construction workforce. In 2019, Lendlease partnered with Living Works, a suicide prevention training provider to develop and pilot a 60min suicide prevention training specifically targeted for construction workers on project sites. Through awareness, training, operational integration and advocacy, Lendlease aims to reduce the risk of suicide and will continue its efforts to make an impact on mental health issues in the construction industry.

Landcare - Australia

At the beginning of 2020, Lendlease joined in a partnership with Landcare Australia’s Junior Landcare Grants program, focusing on a series of grants provided to local schools to help them with an environmental activity they want to run within the school, specifically focusing on the areas of biodiversity, food production, indigenous perspectives, or waste management. Junior Landcare Grants will be awarded to ten schools near Lendlease communities in Queensland and Western Australian. The overarching goal of the partnership is to raise environmental awareness with these young participants, creating strong advocates for the future. This is a pilot program that, if successful, will grow more broadly at Lendlease. Landcare partners with Lendlease to provide volunteering opportunities for employees via Community Day and the Landcare Corporate Volunteering Program.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) - Australia

In 2018, Lendlease committed to a 10-year partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), to support their Reef Islands Initiative (RII). The RII delivers collaborative programs on the ground and in the water to protect and restore critical high-value island habitats. Over the course of the partnership, GBRF will work across 5 distinct islands within the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem with the support of not only Lendlease, but the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation. The Reef Islands Initiative is the largest reef habitat rehabilitation project in the Southern Hemisphere. Springboard relocated to the Capricorn Coast in June 2019 and is a hands-on contribution of employee energy and expertise supporting the community reaffirming Lendlease’s commitment to this partnership.

OzHarvest - Australia

At the end of 2019, Lendlease committed to a three-year partnership with OzHarvest, the nation’s leading food rescue operation feeding people in need across Australia. The objective of our partnership with OzHarvest is to help support and establish a facility in Newcastle to enable the Nourish Program’s delivery, this program provides hospitality focused-education, mentoring and employment pathways for at risk youth aged 16 to 25, our partnership with OzHarvest will enable young people in Newcastle to join this life changing 18 week program. Newcastle has an economy that is slowly moving from fossil fuels to tourism and by opening up opportunity for local young people, together we can help steer them towards viable employment in their own community. OzHarvest partners with Lendlease to provide volunteering opportunities for employees via Community Day and the OzHarvest Corporate Volunteering Program.

Australian Red Cross - Australia

At the end of 2019, Lendlease committed to a three-year partnership with the Australian Red Cross, with a particular focus on a Place Based Approach to community capacity development initiatives in Katherine in the Northern Territory. This partnership will involve specific community efforts relating to indigenous engagement, work opportunities, mental health, migrant/refugees and disaster preparedness. It is owned and managed by people in the local community with the support of the Australian Red Cross with the goal of strengthening the resilience, governance, skills and wellbeing of the community, so they are empowered to create their own solutions. Australian Red Cross partners with Lendlease to provide volunteering opportunities for employees via Community Day and Australian Red Cross Corporate Volunteering.

ABCN - Australia

The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) is a not-for-profit organisation that connects students from disadvantaged backgrounds with businesses and helps facilitate mentoring programs aimed at providing the various skills and exposure to make sound personal, educational and vocational choices. Lendlease has been a member of ABCN since 2017. Since this time, 882 Lendlease employees have provided workplace mentoring and other support to over 2,000 students from socio-economically disadvantaged schools located across Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland. Lendlease mentors are very committed to ABCN programs, with high levels of engagement. ABCN programs are designed to contribute to the personal and professional development of our employees as well as impacting positively on the lives of the young people involved.

Mates in Construction

Mates in Construction is a charity established in 2008 to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers. Mates in Construction provides suicide prevention through community development programs on sites and by supporting workers in need through direct case management and a 24/7 help line. Lendlease Foundation has partnered with Mates in Construction since 2015 and proactively support their continued involvement on our sites and the development of research to further support construction workers and create a mentally safer industry.

Settlement Services International (‘SSI’) - Australia

Lendlease have partnered with Settlement Services International (SSI) to bring the Ignite Small Business Start-up programme to Coffs Harbour. A local Ignite Facilitator supports business creation for people from refugee, disability and other vulnerable backgrounds who are keen to establish a small business or expand an existing one.
Through our partnership with SSI, we are supporting multiple community led projects in the Coffs Harbour region of NSW with a specific focus on those of cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, assisting them to become entrenched in the local community and economy through encouraging their entrepreneurial efforts with an overall goal to provide viable employment opportunities.

Future Smile Charitable Foundation - China

Establish in 2014, Future Smile Charitable Foundation (FSCF) is the leading organisation on “Smile Asia”, and the first public foundation in China specialising in volunteer medical services. The Lendlease partnership with FSCF will introduce a community health intervention that will encompass various communities in China advocating the awareness of chronic diseases and cognitive disorders in seniors. The program is currently focused at the Shanghai delta.

Connecting Families, Malaysia

Connecting Families is a pilot initiative that aims to advocate construction migrant worker’s social wellbeing in Kuala Lumpur. This research partnership aims to collaborate on conducting a research on mental health & wellbeing of migrant construction workers in Kuala Lumpur. The research would involve the local academia to conduct interviews and create statistical data based on The Exchange TRX workforce. Aside from the research on their mental wellbeing, a physical space in the form of a cabin has been outfitted to create a safe and conducive space for workers to connect with their families through video and voice calls for free.

Projek Komuniti Kita, Malaysia

Projek Komuniti Kita (PKK) is a community development initiative that started off as a Community Day project in 2018. The Community Day initiative was very well received as Lendlease assisted an affordable housing neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to refurbish their futsal court. Motivated by the impact it had on the community, Lendlease expanded this community development program to two neighbourhoods in early 2019 and subsequently to five neighbourhoods in late 2019. The PKK is a multi-stakeholder partnership focusing on arts & culture awareness, physical space refurbishment and women empowerment programmes.

Programma 2121 - Italy

Programma 2121 was established in 2018 in Milan as a partnership between Lendlease Italy and the Italian Department of Justice. The aim of this project is to enhance the social inclusion of offenders’ present in Lombardy's prisons through the promotion of training and job placements to further the sense of responsibility and debt payback of the subjects involved towards the community; to train and provide professional skills to help subjects develop a career and to reduce the risk of re-offending. Programma 2121 differs from other employability organisations in that not only identifies jobs, but provides tailored support, industry-led training before supporting them into sustainable jobs.

HideOut Youth Zone – United Kingdom

Lendlease Foundation is working with Onside Youth Zone East (HideOut) to support two more Youth Zones in Manchester. Youth Zones are incredible facilities offering young adults a place that’s got: a warm welcome, a bright lively environment and somewhere they can take part in positive activities, make new friends, learn new skills and have new experiences. By making this long-term commitment, Lendlease will help ensure a sustainable foundation for the new Youth Zones as they embed themselves within the community and provide a safe place for the children and young people in need.

The Lighthouse Charity – United Kingdom

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that provides financial physical and mental wellbeing support to the construction workforce and their families. They achieve this by providing a 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline which is the gateway to access a portfolio of free and confidential support services.

Pilot Light – United Kingdom

Pilotlight is a registered charity on a mission to help charities help more people, more effectively. For nearly two decades we’ve developed partnerships with over 180 UK businesses who have supported nearly 1,000 charitable organisations to become more effective, resilient and sustainable. In 2021 to celebrate our 10 year partnership with Pilotlight, we have successfully run 3 main volunteering programmes: Unlocking Insights, Setting Directions and the Pilotlight flagship programme. Thanks to the involvement of nearly 20 business volunteers who have donated their skills and time for either 10 to 12 weeks period up to a full year, we have supported 8 charities in need.

Regents Place Community Fund – United Kingdom

The Regent’s Place Community Fund launched its 4th round of community grant-funding. The fund is a collaboration of businesses based at Regent’s Place working together to support local grassroots community organisations by contributing funding, sharing resources, bringing together skills & expertise, and creating opportunities for local people. Lendlease is one of its first patrons and founder and very proud to be supporting the RPCF in creating positive social impact. The latest grants were successfully awarded to 9 local community groups which have been seriously hit by the pandemic, but were able to continue to operate thanks to the support received. Lendlease actively engages with these local community groups also through general volunteering and Community Day events.