Four new trainees have started their new roles with Manchester main contractor Russell WBHO.
The company behind some of the city’s most recognisable builds has welcomed its latest cohort of professional apprentices onto the award-winning five-year programme.
The trainees, all age 18 and from the local area, will undertake a part-time degree at the University of Salford while working full time as a Russell WBHO employee. Over the first two years of the programme they will sample different areas of the business to experience the various roles on offer, before they specialise in quantity surveying, engineering or project management.
This year’s cohort comprises Tom Wong from Middleton, Elizabeth Tracey from St Helens, Grace Quinn from Timperley, and Alfie-Jack Lutley from Stockport. They join a further 22 Building Students, at different stages of their training, all of whom are looking forward to graduating and continuing their careers with the business.
The scheme is part of the governments’ Professional Apprenticeship scheme and has a strong reputation within the industry, with Russell WBHO named Best Large Employer at the University of Salford Apprenticeship Awards in 2020. Graduates of the programme hold key positions throughout the company and act as mentors for the new recruits.
The success of the scheme is integral to the company’s growth and succession planning, says joint managing director Gareth Russell. He said: “We want to extend a very warm welcome to our new Building Students and hope they have a very enjoyable and productive experience.
“We value the opportunity to bring through the construction professionals of the future, ensuring they acquire the right knowledge, work ethic and ethos to succeed in their chosen field and support our business as it continues to grow.”
Some of the live projects the Russell WBHO Building Students are involved with include the 32-storey Oxygen Towers, Clayton Hotel and 3 St Peter’s Square in Manchester, the Municipal Buildings hotel scheme in Liverpool, and Lineage Logistics’ expansion programme in Peterborough.
