As part of its ongoing commitment to the continued development of its graduates, the infrastructure company held its first quarterly graduate development day in Glasgow this week.

The workshop was attended by 17 graduates and trainees from across the five divisions at Story Contracting, and consisted of a number of sessions – including workshops on learning methods and HSQE activities – to help the recruits build up the skills and confidence to progress their careers. The recruits also registered to become STEM Ambassadors during the workshop enabling them to help inspire the next generation of talent to join Story Contracting.

Tanya Moxon, head of training and development at Story Contracting, said: “These development days are vital in ensuring that our trainees and graduates form a strong bond and become a cohesive and effective group. As they progress in their development and careers this will provide them with an internal network that they can draw upon when needed. Coupled with this, they will be able to share and develop skills that they will be able to use in their roles.”

When discussing the development day, Martin Quint, trainee designer, said: “For me, this is an interesting opportunity to work with my fellow trainees and graduates from different divisions and regions within Story Contracting and learn from their differing areas of expertise while at the same time meeting a business need.”

Story Contracting – which has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh – recently welcomed its largest ever intake of graduates and trainees into the business with this year’s cohort, including five Scottish graduate engineers. These graduate and trainee roles are an important step for Story Contracting in encouraging the recruitment of future talent within the Scottish construction industry.

Jamie Macarthur, Graham McKenzie and Heather Gough are among those that have recently joined the Story Scotland division of the civil engineering infrastructure company as graduate engineers, and the recruits are based in Story Contracting’s Glasgow office, as well as also working on various sites across Scotland.

Heather said: “My favourite thing about my job has been the opportunity to work with so many different people, getting out on site and experiencing the way different teams work – I have learnt a lot from everyone I work with. I also appreciate Story’s commitment to ensuring everyone is competent and I have undertaken a lot of training courses which I believe has benefitted my everyday work.”

When asked why he chose the Story Contracting graduate scheme, Graham said: “Story is a company that is growing rapidly and I felt it would be an exciting opportunity to be a part of the continued success and growth the company is seeing. The variety of projects that Story is involved in was also a major attraction.”

Heather added: “The opportunity for progression was a key factor in choosing to apply for the Story graduate position – it motivates you to work hard and it is comforting to know that Story will support the growth and development of a career at any stage.”

Story Contracting’s graduate scheme involves exposure to all areas of the business, meaning that at the end of the programme, graduates can make informed decisions about their future career, development and training.

Jason Butterworth, CEO of Story Contracting, said: “We are committed to delivering an excellent and flexible programme for our graduates and we pride ourselves on providing a high quality experience, excellent benefits and rewards throughout the training programme. We are very much looking forward to helping our new recruits grow and develop their careers within Story Contracting.”

Jamie added: “My role as a graduate Engineer is exciting as it gives me the chance to be out on site as well as in the office, seeing the project go from planning and design to real-world application. Further along the graduate scheme I am looking forward to being given the opportunity to undertake different roles within the company, broadening my skills and understanding of Story Contracting and the industry.”