Project case study - Graduates
Graduates are an important part of the pipeline that feeds the construction industry with fresh, young talented professionals who will lead the projects of the future. It is vitally important that young people are given the experience they require once they have finished their further education, beyond primary and secondary school. It is a key benefit to the next generation of graduates from many different disciplines to be afforded the opportunity to take the knowledge they have gained in further education and to be able to apply this in real practice and gain invaluable experience at the same time.
The A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam project employed 10 graduates who contributed over 552 weeks of work to the project. Two of these graduates are profiled below:
Bethany Cunningham – Graduate Quantity Surveyor (QS)
After achieving a BEng in Chemical and Process Engineering, Bethany decided she wanted to try something different. After speaking to a family friend about their work as a Quantity Surveyor and seeing how enthusiastic he was, she went back to university to complete a postgraduate Quantity Surveying degree, working part time as a trainee with Balfour Beatty before joining the company full-time upon graduation.
Managing the commercial aspects of a project such as the A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam project is vitally important in ensuring that businesses can continue to deliver projects sustainably – ensuring value for money and delivering within budget.
Tracking and controlling the cost of materials, labour and sub-contractors is a huge responsibility that falls to the team of highly skilled and qualified Quantity Surveyors led by a Commercial Manager.
Bethany joined the team, working briefly on the Glasgow Queen Street Redevelopment before moving full-time to the A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam project.
One of the best aspects of the construction industry is the satisfaction of going to a site and seeing the progress, as well as working in a team with a wide variety of people and professions on a daily basis.
There are so many opportunities and such a wide variety of projects out there to experience – once you experience one, you’ll be hooked and never look back!”
David McMath – Graduate Civil Engineer
David studied Civil Engineering at Strathclyde University, qualifying with an MEng in 2020. His passion lay with engineering from a young age citing his love for Bob the Builder as leading him to become British K’nex™ champion in his youth.
Whilst studying at university, David spent his summers on work placements with Balfour Beatty at other projects, predominantly in Perth, which included a summer placement in 2019, on the A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam project.
David was heavily involved in the delivery of community benefits through both his placement and following his full-time appointment to the graduate programme. He was involved in several initiatives at local schools to promote careers in construction to young people considering their future employment options by highlighting the various routes available to them through the likes of work placements and graduate and apprenticeship roles.