Livingston-based Esh Border Construction has been shortlisted in the Corporate Social Responsibility category of the prestigious Scottish Business Awards.

Judges announced this week that the firm had been singled out for the Johnson and Johnson CSR Award, the winner of which will be announced on November 17 at the EICC in Edinburgh where Leonardo DiCaprio will be keynote speaker.

The company was recognised for embracing its responsibility to the environment, the communities in which it works, its employees, and other stakeholders in the public sphere, as well as the positive impact that it has had on wider society.

The Business Awards panel were particularly impressed by Esh Border Construction’s ongoing commitment to delivering its award-winning Building My Skills employability programme in Scottish schools.

The initiative, which brings together school pupils and prospective employers, launched with seven business partners in six schools last year.

This academic year, Esh Border Construction has expanded the programme to encompass 12 businesses and 11 schools across the country.

The company has been shortlisted in the CSR category along with seven others, including ScottishPower, Arnold Clark and Highland Spring Group.

The nomination follows the company’s recent recognition by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland for its work on the Castle Maclellan Foods factory in Kirkcudbright, which is now going forward for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.

Simon Phillips, regional managing director of Esh Border Construction, said: “The Scottish Business Awards represent an opportunity to share your most noteworthy work with the leading lights of the country’s business community, and it’s very gratifying for us to have our activities recognised in our first year of entry, particularly in the CSR category.

“We are a relatively new presence in Scotland, so believe that to be shortlisted at this early stage is testament to how far we’ve come in a short space of time.

“We are delighted to be nominated first and foremost, but also to be singled out for our Building My Skills programme which will now deliver 8,670 hours of education to more than 1,600 pupils, equipping school leavers with the employability skills they need to develop successful careers.

“Of course, we could not deliver this initiative without the strong support of our education and business partners, so the Business Awards nomination is shared with all of them. Our thanks go to Beattie, the Creative Communications Group, Peace Recruitment, Brodies LLP, Peter Brett Associates, The Army and PWC for their continued support and also to our new partners for becoming part of the extended programme this year.

“Our added value programmes have always represented a major cornerstone of the business, and we are continuously looking at ways to make them bigger and better for all concerned.”

Darush Dodds, head of corporate responsibility at Esh, added: “After doubling the student uptake of our Building My Skills programme for this academic year, our nomination for a Scottish Business Award represents the icing on the cake.

“It vindicates the approach of ourselves and our much-valued partners, and will hopefully provide the impetus for even further expansion in the coming years.”

The Building My Skills initiative supports wider agendas of developing Scotland’s workforce by continuing to combat youth unemployment and boost long-term plans to address industry skills shortages.