Strategic report
Governance
Financial statements
64 OCU Group Annual report and financial statements 2026
Social continued Creating benefits through our social activities
Leading in talent development
Priorities for the next financial year • grow the Early Careers population and welcome a further cohort of apprentices, graduates and trainees across the Group; • launch the OCU Managers' Passport and establish a consistent leadership development framework across all business units; • implement the next phase of OCU Job Families and Career Pathways to strengthen internal mobility and succession planning; • continue to increase diversity across recruitment and leadership development programs; • leverage technology and AI-enabled learning tools to improve accessibility, learning effectiveness and workforce capability; and • continue building a high-performance learning culture that supports sustainable growth and long-term value creation.
Early Careers development: A two-day program combined business insight, mentoring, Insights Discovery and team challenges to build leadership potential. The 5% Club: OCU retained Gold membership, with more than 13% of the workforce in ‘earn and learn’ positions.
Career pathways: OCU progressed Job Families and Career Pathways, linking skills, qualifications, leadership and technical accreditation to future needs. OCU Managers' Passport: Preparations continued for a consistent management framework covering leadership, coaching, performance, engagement, wellbeing and talent. Digital learning: Since launching in 2025, OCU RISE has expanded professional, technical, leadership and personal development. Mandatory training compliance reached 95%. Supporting diversity and inclusion: Partnerships with education, STEM organisations, the Care Leavers Covenant, Armed Forces Covenant and Women into STEM broaden access to opportunities. 2025 Early Careers intakes achieved 26% female and 44% ethnic-minority representation.
Building a future-ready workforce OCU’s people are essential to safe delivery and long-term growth. Talent investment builds the skills and leadership required by critical infrastructure markets. Early careers, leadership development, career pathways and digital learning address skills shortages, workforce ageing and competition for specialist talent. Key achievements Developing the next generation: Since the ‘Connecting the Future’ strategy launched in 2024, OCU’s Early Careers population has grown from 28 to more than 320 – a 1,043% increase – across apprenticeships, graduates, placements and internal pathways. Recent intakes achieved retention above 98%, with 45% of participants promoted within twelve months. Apprenticeships: More than 100 employees developed through pathways from Level 2 to Level 7, supporting technical, commercial and leadership progression. Formal qualifications, project experience and effective use of the Apprenticeship Levy strengthen internal capability and succession planning.
Awards: OCU won G4C Northwest’s Commitment to Employee Training &
Development Award in 2025. Kaii Foxcroft was named Construction Apprentice of the Year at the Highlands & Islands Apprenticeship Awards. University partnerships: A week-long University of Sheffield internship asked students to address live skills, benchmarking and talent-attraction challenges, contributing insights to OCU’s Early Careers strategy. Women in STEM: Events in London and Manchester promoted OCU careers to students, graduates and career changers, supporting wider access and diversity. Training Academy Network: Seven UK centres and a mobile unit deliver in-house technical, operational and compliance training aligned with client, regulatory and industry needs. In FY26, the Academies delivered 14,535 training hours and issued 6,277 certifications, supporting new entrants and experienced colleagues and strengthening workforce resilience.
Internal talent pipelines, retention and progression strengthen succession and organisational resilience while reducing recruitment costs.
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