In recognition of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Debbie Rutherford, social impact manager at GRAHAM, tells us about the apprenticeship opportunities available at the GRAHAM Academy
This week in Scotland, it’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week (7-13th March). Annually, we use this week as an opportunity to shine a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people into the workplace and the impact that they have on Scotland’s economic recovery.
Scotland is a hotbed of talent, diversity and innovation, with rich education and vocational training available. However, the construction industry is currently facing a skills shortage that has the potential to snowball into a larger issue if we do not spend the time now nurturing our next generation of professionals.
We recognise the power and knowledge that our people of tomorrow possess and with the right guidance from construction experts, together with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, we can create the right environments to train our future decision-makers and construction experts.
At GRAHAM, we are proud to offer year-round apprenticeship and graduate programmes where over the last five years we have created more than 300 opportunities – many of which have extended into full-time employment.
GRAHAM Academy Scotland
We have also established the GRAHAM Academy Scotland which is an arm of our dedicated Graduate Apprenticeship programme, giving company employees the opportunity to gain further education via the workplace. This unique offering is something that we are incredibly proud of as we continue to see students go from strength to strength on their journey into the world of construction.
Hosted and funded by Skills Development Scotland, we have been working with Heriot Watt University – the leading university in Scotland for construction and civil engineering – to deliver the programme. Last year we welcomed four new recruits to the scheme who over the last six months, have consistently enhanced their knowledge of the industry.
Karen Jeffrey, 26, started with GRAHAM in 2016 as a trainee engineer and through the Academy, graduated with Construction Built Environment and Civil Engineering in September 2021. We are very proud to have supported her development, which we will continue to do as she rises through the business.
GRAHAM Graduate Apprenticeship programme
Aside from the Academy, our apprenticeship programme has also welcomed the likes of Beth Paterson (22) who joined us as a full-time member of staff after achieving a HNC Civil Engineering course at a local college. GRAHAM supported Beth to further her education through a Technical Apprenticeship at Glasgow Kevin College, and we’re delighted that she is still part of the business as a Site Engineer.
This year, we’ve extended the young GRAHAM workforce by welcoming a new trainee engineer to the team, Michelle Jeffrey (19). Currently doing an HND Civil Engineering for three days a week, she will join the team for two days to make up a full working week. On completion of the HND qualification, we have already confirmed that we will offer Michelle a place on the Graduate Apprenticeship Programme.
Looking to the future, we are consistently looking at how we can welcome young people into the business. That’s why we’re a member of the 5% club – an organisation consisting of companies committed to ensuring 5% of their workforce over the next five years is comprised of young people on structured learning schemes.
We are very fortunate to have the resource and team structure to implement a variety of apprenticeship schemes, and we are confident that our efforts are positively reinforcing the need for such programmes to keep the industry thriving. However, it doesn’t stop there. There is a need to re-evaluate and update the incentives to encourage apprentices exploring the construction and civil engineering industries and we look forward to continuing this journey.
