Leidos Recognised for Social Value, Skills Development and Community Impact

Empowering Young People Through Partnership

Leidos believes real progress happens when people and communities grow together. This year, the company is proud to be recognised for exactly that with a silver partnership status award from the Jon Egging Trust (JET). This achievement reflects shared goals - investing in talent, creating opportunities, and building a positive legacy where we live and work.

Leidos' partnership with JET builds on this belief. The JET Blue Skies programme supports young people who may be struggling with a lack of confidence and self-belief and who are at risk of disengaging from school. Together, the two groups help them build resilience, communication skills, and a clearer sense of what their future may hold. 

In the inaugural event with JET, Leidos’ Whiteley office welcomed 20 Year 8 students from nearby Miltoncross Academy in Portsmouth, with the day focusing on three key competencies: communication, teamwork, and resilience. Collaborative and engaging activities across the day included:

• The LEGO Challenge: A fun and fast-paced team task that tested collaboration, attention to detail, and communication
• Interview with a Professional: A powerful session where students explored real-life stories of resilience and overcoming adversity
• Airport Scanner Challenge: A practical, problem-solving activity inspired by one of Leidos’ very own UK-developed technologies.

Reflecting on the day, Fi Collins, JET’s director of communications and fundraising, said "We are incredibly grateful to Leidos for your vital funding support and for the horizon-broadening workplace visits you facilitate for our students. These visits enable our students to build self-belief and aspiration, meet inspiring professional role models, and see the real-world application of subjects they are studying at school. Thank you!”

Leidos is proud to continue this journey with JET throughout the 2025-26 academic year.

Leidos’ commitment to developing the next generation defence workforce is also demonstrated by its partnership with La Fosse Academy. The programme opens doors for people from a wide range of backgrounds -- from career changes and those who didn’t go to university to early-stage professionals simply seeking a new direction -- by providing an intensive 12-16 week training bootcamp, providing them with a variety of skills, from software and systems engineering to cyber and data. After completing training, participants join Leidos as associates for two years, working alongside our teams and continuing to build their skills in a real-world environment. Our Leidos x La Fosse Mentor Programme pairs each associate with an experienced engineer to support their growth and guide their development. 

Since 2021, 96% of La Fosse associates have moved into permanent roles with Leidos and contributed across 46 programmes of work. The programme is designed to create opportunities for those who might not otherwise access careers in the sector, with 25% of associates being women, 85% of associates from lower-income backgrounds, and 56% from ethnic minority backgrounds. The partnership reflects the possible impact when traditional barriers to entry are removed, and talent is recognised in all its forms.

Planting Roots for the Future

Last month, Leidos colleagues joined forces with Carma, a UK-based climate action organisation supporting veterans, and Mary Hare School for a day of environmental action and community connection. Together, they planted trees and hedgerows around the school ground. For many who took part, it was a chance to reconnect with our Corporate Social Responsibilities to create social impact.

Stuart Dance, Air Safety Compliance and Assurance Lead at Leidos, summed it up perfectly: “More importantly, Leidos is committed to walking-the-walk and giving back to our local communities. The Mary Hare school relies on generating its own funds, so to help improve its grounds by planting trees for future generations of children to enjoy watching grow, at no cost to the school, is a really warm feeling.”

The Mary Hare School tree planting day builds on Leidos UK’s wider partnership with Carma, as detailed in the latest Sustainability Report. It’s a real-world example of the company's ongoing effort to minimise environmental impact and strengthen the communities where it operates.

Turning Commitments into Measurable Impact

As outlined in Leidos UK’s Sustainability Report, the company has already achieved a 32% overall reduction in carbon emissions between 2019 and 2024 – a major step toward its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2040. 

The report also highlights how Leidos is engaging employees in sustainable practices. Since 2022, all UK employees have been taking part in personalised programmes designed to help them reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment. Between January and August 2025, employees collectively committed to reducing 20,898kg of carbon, saved more than 1 million litres of water, and eliminated over 1,700 single-use plastic items. 

These collective actions – from office initiatives to hands-on volunteering – represent how Leidos is turning its environmental commitments into measurable impact.