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Strategic report
OCU Group | Annual report and financial statements 2025
Governance
Financial statements
Creating benefits through our social activities Social
Add value to our communities
Promoting STEM careers: We have been working with Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) attending career events in Manchester and Sheffield, promoting the vital skills needed in our industry in the future, and raising awareness of the opportunities within our sector for women studying STEM subjects. Employability skills: We have provided mentoring on interviews, CV writing, and other employability skills across our projects to those who would benefit the most. For example, our Enterprise Advisor, working within our SSEN framework, has partnered with a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school to deliver four sessions for those in greatest need. Careers events: Throughout the year, we have actively supported various career events. Notably, we participated in the Careers Fest 2025 in Oxford, a two-day event that featured a ‘twilight’ sensory session designed for students with learning needs, as well as their parents and carers, in collaboration with our client SSEN. Additionally, we maintained our strong partnership with Aquinas College in Stockport by attending their ‘After Aquinas’ event, where we provided information on early career opportunities to over 2,000 students and their parents.
Armed forces events: We have attended a network of nationwide Career Transition Partnership events. These events are designed for current servicemen and women or previous leavers to meet employers who have roles aligned to transferable skills of military life as they transition out of service. Goals for the next financial year • Increase the number of OCU employees registered as STEM ambassadors. • Gain a deeper understanding of our spend in local communities and social enterprises. • Carry out needs analysis for all our frameworks, projects and programs. • Put in place a system to capture and measure the local benefits we deliver.
At OCU Group, we are dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate. While our projects may occasionally cause disruptions, we actively collaborate with local stakeholders to enhance community value. We do this by offering upskilling and employment opportunities, partnering with local businesses, and providing support to schools and various community organisations. Key achievements Training Academies: In 2024, we expanded our Academy network to seven fixed sites, with a Mobile Academy launching later this year. Located across the UK, our Academies train people in the communities where they live and work, reducing travel, accelerating deployment and supporting local employment. Each site delivers accredited courses and refreshers using VR headsets, full-scale modules and immersive simulations. Every program begins with safety and builds the skills needed to protect people, provide quality, and shape confident, capable teams. CSCS card at school scheme: We have launched a scheme to help young people in full-time education in Scotland obtain their health and safety CSCS cards, addressing a key barrier to working on site. The program targets S4-S6 pupils where careers inspiration is lacking at home, particularly in rural areas with high generational unemployment. 43 students have benefited from the scheme since it began in 2023, increasing their chances of employment after school.
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