Graham Construction has been awarded the highest level of accreditation by Investors in People, the international standard for people management.

The platinum-level award puts the company in the top seven per cent of accredited organisations throughout the UK.

The news comes shortly after Graham Construction celebrated its 15th birthday in Scotland, signing the Scottish Business Pledge and announcing that it has delivered, or is in the process of delivering more than £2 billion of projects and now employs over 350 people in Scotland.

Graham Construction is part of Graham Group, which recently announced a turnover increase to £565 million in its 2016-17 year end results.

Paul Devoy, head of IIP, said: “Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to success. Graham Construction should be extremely proud of its achievement.”

Gary Holmes, Scottish regional managing director for Graham Building Division, said: “This result demonstrates our ongoing commitment to making Graham a place where each individual can attain their personal and career goals. It could not have been achieved without the commitment, ability, loyalty and infectious enthusiasm of our people, which is a great foundation for future success. We view the Investor in People standard as an effective tool to help drive and continuously improve our people strategy.”

The company is working throughout Scotland carrying out projects across a wide variety of sectors. In South West Scotland it is engaged in two very important education projects - the £70 million Phase One of Dumfries Learning Town programme and the £24m Dalbeattie Learning Campus.

Its relationship with the NHS in Scotland has gone from strength to strength - the latest being the building of the £120m Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre in Aberdeen for NHS Grampian.

The Graham Civil Engineering division has been providing architectural, civil, structural and building services for the HVDC convertor stations of the Caithness-Moray HVDC Link - the largest investment in north Scotland’s electricity network since the 1950s.

The company’s Interior Fit-Out division has started refurbishment works at the Thistle Shopping Centre in Stirling having completed a number of projects throughout the region at retail centres including Ocean Terminal and Braehead (Glasgow).

Meanwhile its commitment to youth skills and apprenticeships continues to grow, with Graham Construction’s membership of the 5% Club, made up of companies committed to ensuring at least 5% of their workforce over the next five years is comprised of young people on structured learning schemes. However, Graham goes far beyond this commitment - with 14% of the current workforce in these schemes, a figure which will rise to 15% by the end of the year. Of this, 9% are apprentices.

The company has also established the Graham Academy to tackle the looming skills shortage in the industry. This is an entry level programme for young people to pursue a career in construction. Over 100 young people have already enrolled in the Academy, which offers nationally-recognised qualifications alongside paid work experience and permanent employment.