Ardmac wins “Graduate Programme of the Year 2020” for its 2-year training programme that prepares candidates for their entire career.
22 December, 2020, Dublin:
As part of Ardmac’s annual Graduate Development Programme, we select and retain high potential graduates who are trained and developed for progression to management level within the company. This facilitates an ongoing succession plan at Ardmac, which creates long term linkages from graduate entry level through to Senior Management; a full career at Ardmac.
Ardmac’s two-year Graduate Development Programme in Engineering, Quantity Surveying and Construction is a great opportunity for young people to gain a deeper insight into the business. The candidates work within one of 4 key business areas and have the opportunity to also train in one of Ardmac’s overseas offices.
Graduating to success with a structured up-front programme and hands-on, expert mentoring
Our graduates are supported by Ardmac’s Senior Leaders and HR team throughout the structured programme that consists of a maximum of four assignments: Planning, Commercial, Estimating and Safety & Quality. The aim is to provide a minimum of 3-6 months on each of the assignments with six monthly review periods, which run in parallel to each assignment. The period for each assignment is a minimum of three months and no longer than nine months.
As much as the assignments provide a structure to the placement blocks, the learning and growth for our graduates happens primarily through the time and insights Site Managers, Quality Advisors and Commercial Teams on site give. Being present for our teams’ handling of day-to-day issues is invaluable, and having the opportunity to shadow site leaders, is where the real growth and learning happens.
Every member of senior management who acts as a graduate mentor is assigned to only one graduate in order to be able to focus on their role as advisor. Each graduate is further supported by a buddy for each assignment. The buddy provides insights into the day-to-day activities of the business, shares
information and supports and encourages the new graduate to express their thoughts and concerns in a safe setting.
Excellence in training & development
Training and Development is carried out on a continuous basis throughout the entire programme. There is a significant amount of on-the-job training. Graduates find this invaluable as it helps them to deal with unplanned events that occur on construction sites all the time.
Specific training in Site Management (Managing Safety in Construction, PSCS, SMSTS), Planning (MS Project, Primavera 6), Commercial (Evision & Evaluate) and SHEQ (Management Information System, Auditing software, Risk Assessments and Method Statement) is identified for each stage of the graduate programme to coincide with the assignment the graduate will be completing.
Ardmac – Offering a career rather than a job
On completion, graduates have a sound understanding of our company, in addition to developing management, technical and interpersonal skills. Our Graduate Development Programme is a senior management priority and assists in preparing graduates to make significant and valued contributions at an early stage in their career with Ardmac.
Ardmac encourage their graduates to continue with their education following college. This can take the form of: Short duration Courses, Honours Degrees, Masters, Post Graduate Diplomas or Chartership Process (SCSI, CIOB & Engineers Ireland). To allow our graduates to complete this further education we offer financial support, and both study and exam leave.
We recognise the need for work life balance and the investment of both time and effort from our graduates, so the company aim to support them as much as possible throughout this process.
Our senior management team on site and in the Head office are always on hand to offer any support needed throughout their educational journey.