26 September 2013

Costain has markedly increased the number of graduates it has employed this summer, reflecting the continuing expansion of the Group’s portfolio of activities.

Normally Costain recruits around 45 university graduates annually. This year, the number has risen to 62, an increase of roughly 38%.

“As the Company is changing and evolving, we’re seeking a more diverse range of talent,” explains Graduate Development Officer, Camilla Duncan.

“New disciplines we’ve taken on this year include English and Business Management graduates.

“Historically, we’ve been very much focused on civil engineering, but now we’re focusing on increasing our mechanical and electrical engineering capability.”

This year, graduates have come from no fewer than 13 different disciplines and have been allocated to posts across all the Group’s divisions.

Finding some categories of graduates is easier than others, says Camilla. “We’re very much established with civil engineering and quantity surveying graduates and are an employer of choice for them.” Attracting graduates in Costain’s newer areas of interest means fighting with other potential employers to get the right calibre of next-generation staff.

Meanwhile, a further 51 students undertaking higher education qualifications are coming to the end of their summer placements with the Company.

They typically spend eight to 10 weeks of their summer vacation working on Costain sites to give them a taste of the industry and hopefully to encourage them to take up employment with the Company when they graduate.

They are sponsored through university by way of bursaries and are assessed for Costain’s graduate programme as they complete their educational careers.

 

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