Member Article

Construction firm partners with Newcastle University to help graduates

North Tyneside construction firm Turney Wylde has teamed up with Newcastle University to help recruit and train the next generation of industry professionals.

The Wallsend firm, which directly 90 people across the North East, runs an apprenticeship programme, which takes on young people every year to learn the construction trade.

Now the company is extending its recruitment of young people by providing opportunities to newly qualified graduates through Newcastle University’s Graduate Apprentices scheme.

It is estimated around 140,000 people, and their skills and knowledge, were lost to the construction sector during the economic downturn.

Turney Wylde director, Neil Ramsey, said: “The country is emerging from a long lasting and damaging recession. Construction in the North East has been hit particularly hard.

“As our workload expands, we need additional capacity to match the increased demand for construction services, which means employing increasing number of people at all levels.

“Turney Wylde believes that the way to achieve this is to provide new opportunities to young people just embarking on their career and organise structured employment enabling them to gain the skills needed to make the transition from education to a results driven working environment.”

The latest recruit to join the business is Victoria DaCosta, who has been appointed as marketing assistant via Newcastle University’s programme.

The Improving SME Performance through Graduate Apprentices placement scheme provides a free recruitment service and companies the opportunity to have a graduate work in their business for at least three months. The University will be offering 220 Graduate Apprentices places by June next year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .