9 March 2015

Graduates in the third year of Costain’s Development Programme recently attended a four-day management skills development programme.

More than 30 graduates attended the event at DeVere Milton Hill House in Oxford. Over the course of the four days the graduates completed a behavioural skills programme designed to develop their understanding of effective management within Costain. The graduates also spent time understanding the demands placed on them as managers, raising their awareness about how they might approach situations as a manager.

The graduates then learnt about contracts, integrated business procedures and the potential problems a project can face if procedures aren’t followed correctly. Patrick Bruce, Costain’s Commercial Director, delivered training in ECC (Engineering and Construction Contracts), risk management, targeting costs, keeping records and applying best practice.

“Following correct procedure is vital for the success of any business and it is essential that our graduates understand how important this is, not only for the Company but also for the customer,” said Camilla Duncan, Costain’s Graduate Development Officer, who organised the event.

Camilla added: “Using real examples, the graduates were encouraged to talk about some of the challenges they have faced on their projects and examine how they dealt with those challenges, both individually and as part of the project team.”

The four-day event is an integral part of the three-year accredited Graduate Development Programme, which is specifically designed to fast-track participants to Chartered Status in a wide number of professional institutions within five years. Graduates attend one such event per year to develop their core competencies, hone their skills and to network with senior members of Costain’s management team.

The graduates also heard from Tim Bowen, Costain’s Corporate Development Director, who held a Question and Answer session about leadership within Costain, and how the graduates can help drive the Engineering Tomorrow strategy, the Company’s commitment to identifying, developing and implementing innovative solutions to meet the UK’s major national infrastructure needs.

Tim’s key message was: the graduates need to build stronger relationships with Costain’s customers to really understand their challenges and to develop innovative solutions to meet their needs.

“Working collaboratively with our customers and our supply chain partners, everyone in Costain has to take responsibility for delivering these solutions,” said Tim.

 

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