(London) – Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, announces it has created the ‘Aviva Investors Social Value Label’, a certification scheme which seeks to recognise – and apply a rating to – the quality of practice in the construction supply chain in delivering good employment, skills and training outcomes for people and communities near its real estate development projects.
With benefits for local communities and fostering trust being essential to the long-term success of investments in infrastructure and real estate1 the Aviva Investors Social Value Label is designed to help contractors and local authorities understand Aviva Investors’ intentions and expectations around the impact of its development projects, as well as recognise best practice. It is accredited by the Construction Industry Training Body (‘CITB’) via its National Skills Academy for Construction and has been created in consultation with a steering group represented by organisations including the CITB, as well as the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) and the Central London Careers hub delivered by Reed in Partnership.
For each of Aviva Investors’ development projects, the steering group determines how contracting firms appointed to schemes can direct employment opportunities towards local people and the groups who most need support.
Projects will be assessed against a number of criteria to determine a social value score, with one of three ratings labels being awarded. Contractors will be recognised with the relevant Social Value Label rating following practical completion, to acknowledge good practice. The three levels of achievement, in ascending order, are: ‘Core’, ‘Impactful’, and ‘Visionary’.
The criteria used will consider how good an outcome has been delivered by contractors for the people and communities living near Aviva Investors’ development projects, assessing contractors’ quality of engagement with steering group partners, long-term partnerships established with local community groups, repeat engagements with the same individuals, and participation in targeted programmes being run as part of the projects.
The three ratings are awarded based on the following assessment criteria:
- The delivery of social value targets (all)
- Meeting our evidence requirements with high-confidence data (all)
- Demonstrating clear links between social value outcomes and local needs (all)
- Quality engagement with delivery partners, such as employment, skills and training providers, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Voluntary and Community Social Enterprises (VCSEs) (‘Impactful’, ‘Visionary’)
- 17 criteria defining successful repeat outcomes for individuals and long-term partnerships with employment, skills and training providers, SMEs and VCSEs. Contractors will be awarded ‘Impactful’ status for delivery of up to 9 of 17 criteria, or ‘Visionary’ if 10 or more criteria are delivered
With the CITB estimating the UK construction industry will need to recruit nearly 48,000 extra people a year between 2025 and 2029 – a total of nearly 240,000 workers[2] – the Social Value Label builds on Aviva Investors’ existing work with suppliers and contractors on its development projects, where it has helped to deliver social value targets across three key workstreams: jobs and apprenticeships, skills and training, and education outreach, creating substantive opportunities for over 5,000 students nationwide between January 2023 and June 2025.
In its restoration of Curtain House, a heritage Victorian warehouse in Shoreditch, London, into a modern and energy-efficient office building, a needs assessment highlighted high levels of income deprivation in the area, leading Aviva Investors to collaborate with its main contractor to deliver local employment opportunities above the industry benchmark for similar sized projects, as well as upskilling programmes for individuals not in employment, education or training. Aviva Investors also partnered with The Land Collective, a London-based education charity, for its careers programme titled ‘Black Girls in Property’, arranging site visits for local students, alongside career talks from project team members and four days of workshops run by volunteers from the project over two years.
In April, Aviva Investors funded a seven-week education initiative giving Construction T-Levels students in Milton Keynes insight into careers in construction and property. Delivering the programme in partnership with Milton Keynes College, Dandara and Packaged Living, students undertook a series of hands-on workshops, practical exercises and sessions designed to build career skills, confidence, and open doors to future opportunities in the industry. A second edition of the programme is scheduled to take place in November with a new cohort of T-Levels students. Aviva Investors also funded facilitation of an employer-led Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) between January and March this year, with those completing the learning and training programme obtaining a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card. As well as being offered a two–week placement within Aviva Investors’ supply chain, with every candidate guaranteed a job interview at an Aviva Investors site upon completing the programme.
Ben Littman, Head of Development, Aviva Investors, said:
“As a significant investor in UK real estate, we know our development projects have the potential to provide social benefits. Launching our industry-accredited Social Value Label is a significant moment in being able to quantify and rate that effect. By working alongside suppliers, contractors and steering group partners, their expertise will help us maximise the outcomes we can have across our schemes. We hope that applying this rating system to all future developments provides confidence in our ability to add positive value within the local communities in which our projects sit.”
Ben Littman added:
“This is another example of how Aviva Investors is helping communities get ready for the future, using our investment activity to support people through jobs, training, and education outreach programmes, supporting the regeneration of the communities we live and work in, whilst using strategic partnerships to help build stronger communities.”
Carl Licorish, Customer Engagement, CITB, added:
“CITB is delighted to be partnering with Aviva Investors on its Social Value Programme which integrates CITB’s National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC). This partnership involving clients, providers and employers represents exactly the kind of collaboration the construction industry needs. When local communities connect directly with construction businesses, everyone wins – the industry gets the skilled workforce it desperately needs, and local people gain access to secure, well-paid jobs. It's partnerships like this that will transform how our industry works.”
To read more about the Aviva Investors Social Value Label, please visit: https://www.avivainvestors.com/en-gb/views/aiq-investment-thinking/2025/11/social-value-label/
