Tarmac puts skills at the core of graduate and apprentice workforce

Tarmac is celebrating the success of higher apprentices and graduates who have completed the businesses two-year core skills development programme – a programme designed to equip higher apprentices and graduates with the skills and knowledge needed for a successful career within the construction industry.

Aged from 19 to 28 years old, the employees are based at sites across the length and breadth of the UK, from the north in Dunbar, Scotland right through to the south in Tilbury, Essex. A total of 41 employees make up the high-achieving 2018 intake – the largest to date.

The twenty graduates are throwing their caps in victory after passing seven modules with flying colours including finance, project and change management, communication, and future development. The higher apprentices will be continuing through to the end of their courses which typically last three to four years. Higher apprenticeships provide an opportunity to gain Level 4 qualifications or above, with most apprentices gaining an NVQ Level 4, HND, or foundation degree.

Those on graduate schemes will now transition into a range of roles across the company in areas including contracting, marine operations, quantity surveying, manufacturing, and logistics.

The intake shared their experiences of the programme, demonstrating their newly acquired skills through virtual presentations to their line managers and HR managers, as well as a guest audience from the Tarmac executive team.

Deborah Brydie, logistics graduate at Tarmac said: “The core skills development programme has been extremely useful in building my network and developing the skills needed to carry out a successful career at Tarmac. To have the designated time away from our jobs to focus on training has been great. My manager has always been really supportive which has helped, and throughout the two years, has encouraged me to get the most out of the programme by dedicating as much time to it as I can.”

Graeme Boylen, human resources director at Tarmac said: “The core skills development programme is a great foundation for building a career here with us at Tarmac, and with this week being National Apprenticeship Week, it is a fantastic time to celebrate the successes of our employees. Through development programmes and our contribution to weeks such as this one, we hope to raise the industry’s profile and encourage more apprentices and graduates to take on a career within construction.

“I was very impressed with the calibre displayed by the higher apprentices and graduates through the virtual presentations. It is clear to see how much they have grown in confidence and capability over the past two years, and the overall delivery of every single presentation was superb. I’m looking forward to seeing the higher apprentices and graduates progress even further with us, eventually becoming Tarmac’s next generation of leaders.”

The core skills programme is just one of Tarmac’s range of professional development and training initiatives aimed at creating a highly-skilled workforce to support the UK’s construction and infrastructure ambitions.

To find out more about higher apprentice and graduate roles at Tarmac, visit: www.tarmaccareers.com/early-careers

Photo caption: Deborah Brydie, logistics graduate.