City Building has welcomed a flurry of new recruits, as more than 60 modern apprentices join the construction firm.

The diverse group, which includes four women, care leavers and a number of people from surrounding BME communities, were greeted by City Building’s boards of directors following an induction at Queenslie Training Centre yesterday.

In addition to promoting opportunities in the construction sector amongst young people from diverse backgrounds, City Building is helping two best friends and two brothers take their first steps on the career ladder.

Best friends Adam Caddell and Cameron Barrett (both 17) met on the football pitch aged eight. After attending secondary school together, the pair became inseparable and will now join the same carpentry and joinery apprentice course.

Adam and Cameron will be joined in the Joinery Programme by brothers Lewis (16) and Fraser Scott (19) who were both recruited with support from Wheatley Group which now jointly owns City Building (Glasgow).

While Lewis has entered the training programme straight from school, Fraser already has a taste for working life having spent the past few years in retail. Both brothers will now be taking on this new challenge together.

The boys are one of the first to join City Building as apprentices since Wheatley Group became a joint owner of City Building (Glasgow) in March 2017. The organisation has since strengthened its apprentice programme, which is already one of the most successful of its kind in Scotland. It has developed new training resources and is attracting school leavers through various channels including Glasgow City Council’s Glasgow Guarantee Initiative and the Wheatley Foundation, Wheatley Group’s charitable trust.

City Building offers apprenticeships in a variety of disciplines, including electrical engineering, joinery, painting and decorating, plumbing and carpentry. It achieves a pass out rate of 94% - almost a third higher than the sector average.

Gordon Sloan, chair of City Building (Glasgow), said: “With around 245 apprentices already on the payroll City Building offers excellent employment opportunities and helps construct bright futures for young men and women pursuing a career in construction. Joining forces with Wheatley Group has only worked to strengthen the opportunities we offer across Glasgow.

“Many of these new recruits will go on to deliver vital work across the city, including in maintenance and repairs services. By investing in the next generation of tradespeople, we are strengthening our commitment to the hundreds of tenants who rely on us and ensure that we are effectively equipped to meet their needs.”

Councillor Greg Hepburn from Glasgow City Council said: “City Building plays an important role in furthering the education and training of Glasgow’s young tradespeople.

“As one of the country’s largest construction firms, it has developed very successful apprentice programme which sees almost all students leave with the relevant qualifications.

“It also continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to furthering diversity within the industry, employing almost 20% of all female craft apprenticeships in Scotland, and it is fantastic to see that this year’s intake is once again representative of the many different faces of society.”