Pave Aways has made the final shortlist for TWO Investors in People Awards 2026, putting our Shropshire-based team alongside organisations from across the UK and around the world.
We have been shortlisted for TWO Investors in People Awards 2026 – the Award for Best Culture and the Award for Excellence in Building Purpose-Driven Impact, both in the up-to-249-employees category.
For a team of just over 60 people, it is significant recognition. But more importantly, the two categories tell two halves of the same story, reflecting areas that have become central to how we operate: the collaborative culture we have built within Pave Aways and the wider impact we want to have on the communities where we live and work.
Best Culture
The Award for Best Culture recognises organisations that have created a strong workplace culture and can demonstrate its impact on their people. For us, that means creating a culture shared across the business, from apprentices and site teams through to directors.
At the heart of that are our S.I.T.E.S. values – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence and Sustainability – which shape how we manage, develop and champion our people every day. Paired with our People’s-People Group, it gives colleagues from apprentice to director level a direct voice in raising ideas, solving problems and influencing the business.
The impact is reflected in our Investors in People results. Between 2022 and 2025, all nine IIP indicators improved, with our overall results 48 points above the IIP industry average and 45 points above similarly sized organisations. Collaborative working scored 6.6 out of 7, while 94.7% of employees responded positively to “Living the Organisation’s Values and Behaviours”.
Development and progression are a key part of that culture too. 39% of our current workforce started as trainees or apprentices, more than 70 construction careers have been supported through our apprenticeship programme and all four Directors began their careers in entry-level roles. We invest more than 2,686 training hours each year, with 98% of employees accessing development opportunities.
Excellence in Building Purpose-Driven Impact
The Award for Excellence in Building Purpose-Driven Impact recognises organisations that use their business to create a wider positive impact for their people, communities and environment. For us, that means looking beyond the buildings we construct and considering the opportunities and long-term benefits we can create through our work.
Our approach is centred around developing people, creating opportunity, strengthening communities and building more sustainably. We have supported more than 70 construction careers through our apprenticeship programme, with 39% of our current workforce having started as trainees or apprentices. We also engage with more than 30 schools and colleges each year, helping to introduce young people to careers in construction.
Being rooted in Shropshire is equally important to us. 82% of our workforce is local and 68% of our supply-chain spend is retained within the county. We’ve also invested £15,000 through our Community Grant Fund to support young people not in employment, education or training and adults facing barriers to employment in Wellington.
Sustainability is another key part of our purpose. Since our 2022/23 baseline, we’ve achieved a 26.5% reduction in total emissions and a 19% reduction in carbon intensity per £m turnover, while working towards our longer-term ambition of Net Zero by 2045.
For us, purpose is about making sure the work we do creates value beyond the project itself – creating opportunities for people, supporting the communities around us and building a more sustainable future.
One Pave-Aways Approach
The culture we have built within Pave Aways is what enables us to deliver our wider purpose.
Our people are the ones developing the next generation of construction talent, supporting their communities, identifying more sustainable ways of working and challenging us to improve. That is the thinking behind our employee-created motto, “Building our future, together.”
We only achieved our Investors in People Gold accreditation in December 2025, so reaching two national award shortlists less than a year later is a particularly important milestone for us.
The shortlist news arrived just in time too before our annual away day, meaning the whole team was together when we had the chance to celebrate.
Now, we’ll be heading to London on 18 November 2026 for the Investors in People Awards ceremony. Whatever happens on the night, being shortlisted in these two categories is a strong reflection of the direction Pave Aways has taken and, most importantly, the people who continue to shape it. A huge well done, team!
Take a look at all the finalists here
