Leading contractor, GRAHAM (formerly GRAHAM Construction), has pledged to support Scottish youngsters to establish a career in construction by joining the Young Person’s Guarantee (YPG) – a joint commitment to bring together employers, partners and young people across the country.
The £60 million Scottish Government led initiative aims to provide opportunities for all 16-24 year olds in Scotland through jobs, apprenticeships, further and higher education, training programmes and volunteering.
In addition to the existing apprenticeship and training opportunities at GRAHAM, including its dedicated GRAHAM Academy Scotland, the firm has joined the YPG to underline its commitment to supporting youngsters whilst future-proofing skills needed in the construction industry.
GRAHAM will now work alongside Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian; DYW Glasgow; DYW Fife; DYW North East and Action for Children to establish valuable partnerships which will see young people obtain both practical experience and academic accreditation with the team’s support.
Already through its partnership with Action for Children, GRAHAM has employed four youngsters in various positions across its live Glasgow build to rent (BTR) schemes, which are creating an abundance of community benefits and helping to address the demand for high-quality homes in the city.
Three young people are currently employed on Edinburgh projects and a further two apprentices will be joining the firm in August. Two Action for Children work trials have started at GRAHAM sites in Edinburgh and both have now secured full time roles, where they will be working across student accommodation and BTR schemes.
Suzanne Stevenson, social impact advisor at GRAHAM, said: “There are a number of young people across Scotland who face a variety of obstacles which prevent them finding a route into construction and a fulfilling career.
“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.
“However, we are always looking at ways to enhance how we support our future generations and by pledging to support the YPG, we will now have national support to develop a workforce that has young people at its heart and help create a resilient industry for decades to come.”
GRAHAM is also a member of The 5% Club – an organisation consisting of companies committed to ensuring that at least 5% of their workforce over the next five years is comprised of young people on structured learning schemes.
Already across Scotland, 13% of GRAHAM’s workforce is made up of young people and its Building North region hosts a quarterly Young Persons Forum where younger colleagues come together to share ideas and network.
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