AS part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, GRAHAM is highlighting its dedicated apprentice scheme through its GRAHAM Academy and the role it plays in nurturing the next generation of workers.
The Academy provides training at various levels including a graduate development programme, apprenticeships, work experience, and industrial and undergraduate placements.
Over the last year, the contractor has welcomed a record number of new apprentices to the Building North division, almost doubling headcount by 18 to 38 in roles including trainee engineers, quantity surveyors, civil engineers and site managers.
Complemented with academic studies at a range of partner universities and colleges, apprentices are working on site at a range of GRAHAM developments. This includes at Candleriggs Square build-to-rent (BTR) and Bath Street purpose-built student accommodation developments in Glasgow. In Edinburgh, apprentices are on site at a mixed-use development in Abbey Lane and the Bonnington Road BTR scheme, near Leith.
Other highlights include graduate apprentice, Alexis Smith (22), being shortlisted for the Graduate Apprentice of the Year at Skills Development Scotland’s Scottish Apprentice Awards. Alexis is a trainee planner at GRAHAM whilst completing a civil engineering graduate apprenticeship course with University of the West of Scotland.
GRAHAM has also welcomed foundation apprentice, Logan Forsyth (17), into a permanent role as trainee site manager at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Logan joined as an apprentice straight from school and quickly realised that a career in construction was the right path for him, impressing with his enthusiasm and hands-on approach to learning.
Lucy Threlfall (17) joined GRAHAM in 2023 and completed an administration apprenticeship within nine months before going on to become a trainee engineer, as part of the NC civil engineering apprenticeship at Glasgow Kelvin College. After helping to deliver Scotland’s largest build-to-rent scheme, Lucy has re-located to Belfast to work on the city’s first BTR development, The Loft Lines.
She said, “My advice to anyone thinking of going into the construction industry would be to consider all of the different roles available and ask as many questions as you can, which will help to determine what route you want to explore. I left school not knowing what I wanted to do, and I never thought that I would end up working in construction, let alone leaving home at 17 to work in Belfast. However, the support and guidance always available from the GRAHAM team has opened up an exciting career path as well as training opportunities.”
Debbie Rutherford, head of social impact & support services at GRAHAM, said, “As an industry, we have a responsibility to ensure that we have dedicated training and apprenticeship programmes that encourage people to start a career in construction. The blend of practical experience and academic studies gives apprentices the best start in the industry, enabling them to gain valuable experience, while in turn, creating a candidate pool of highly skilled, experienced potential employees.
“Lucy and Alexis are just two of our graduates who have enjoyed fantastic success over the last year and it’s great to see their confidence grow every day at GRAHAM.”
Other incentives GRAHAM has introduced include the Outward Bound Trust programme within its Young Person’s forum. The networking group is made up of around 60 young people working in the Building North region and they are invited to collaborate and share feedback on the future of the business.
GRAHAM has also partnered with Bellahouston Academy to provide support to young people who wish to explore career options surrounding construction, offering supervised walkthroughs of sites to gain experience of the work being carried out.
