Balfour Beatty Living Places has partnered with Groundwork Northamptonshire, a charity working to transform lives in disadvantaged communities, to provide young people with work experience placements and future employment opportunities. Balfour Beatty will provide £40,000 to fund a number of 28-week paid 'work-ready' placements at Groundwork Northamptonshire's 'The Green Patch' community garden project in Kettering. The young people will then embark on a four-week paid placement on Balfour Beatty Living Places' Northamptonshire PFI Contract, learning how to install and maintain street lighting assets. Following the placements, two candidates will be offered the opportunity to take up an apprenticeship position in Balfour Beatty Living Places and will be supported as they undertake Highway Electrical Apprenticeship courses. The partnership follows a successful pilot in 2022, which saw Balfour Beatty Living Places welcome one Trainee Street Lighting Operative onto its Northamptonshire Street Lighting contract after engaging with Groundwork Northamptonshire to establish a meaningful strategy with long-term opportunities for young people in the local community. Steve Helliwell, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Living Places, said: "By investing in the future and providing opportunities for young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, we will build a stronger, more resilient workforce and empower the next generation of engineers and construction professionals to excel in practical skills."