If you work in the lift industry, you’ll know that winning a contract is no longer just about price and technical capability. Increasingly, procurement teams and local authorities want to see evidence that a company is invested in something bigger – its people, its community, its future.
That’s where social value comes in, and it’s why work experience programmes are becoming one of the most effective (and most overlooked) tools lift companies have.
The skills gap meets the tendering process
The lift and escalator industry has a well-documented skills shortage. Fewer young people are entering the trade, experienced engineers are retiring, and companies across the sector are competing for the same shrinking pool of talent.
At the same time, when lift companies tender for contracts, they’re often asked to demonstrate community engagement as part of their social value commitments. This can include things like providing work experience placements, supporting local schools and colleges, and investing in the communities in which they operate.
Put those two things together, and a well-run work experience programme starts to look less like a nice-to-have and more like a genuine business asset. One that helps address the talent pipeline and ticks a box that’s becoming harder to ignore in bid documents.
What tender assessors are actually looking for
Social value criteria can vary from contract to contract, but the underlying question is usually the same: is this company just technically capable, or is it also committed to making a positive contribution beyond the job itself?
A structured, professionally designed work experience programme is a straightforward and impactful way to answer that question. It’s tangible evidence that a company takes its wider responsibilities seriously and is helping introduce a young pool of talent to the industry.
What makes a work experience programme actually work
Not all placements are created equal. A vague, one-off “shadow day” won’t carry much weight with a procurement panel, and won’t do much for the participant either. To be genuinely useful (both to the business and to any tender submission), a programme needs to be:
- Structured – with a clear plan for what the participant will do and learn, not an ad hoc day of following someone around
- Safe – meeting all relevant health and safety requirements, particularly important in an industry where placements may involve site visits or exposure to technical environments
- Meaningful – giving genuine insight into the range of roles that keep a lift business running, from compliance and project management to customer service and on-site engineering
- Reflective of the business – tailored to the company’s own operations, so it’s an accurate representation of what a career there actually looks like
Get these elements right, and a work experience programme becomes something a company can point to with confidence, in a tender document, on their website, or in front of a client.
Turning a requirement into a real advantage
Whether you’re tendering for a local authority contract, a housing association project, or a large commercial scheme, having a designed work experience programme behind you strengthens your bid and demonstrates a genuine commitment to social value.
It also does something a tender document can’t measure directly: it gives students and young people a real, well-rounded introduction to a career in lifts and vertical transportation, and helps build the next generation of talent the industry badly needs.
At ESS we can help design and deliver bespoke Work Experience Programmes, taking care of the planning and structure so businesses can focus on delivering a great experience for participants. Find out more about our Work Experience Programme and how we can help.
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