59
PRO INSTALLER MAY 2016
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
DEMAND FOR PROJECT
MANAGEMENT GRADUATES
Peace Recruitment, experts in the construction, engineering and property sectors, says it is placing
more and more graduates as companies look to breach the gap left by the skills shortage.
A lack of skilled candidates
is threatening to derail the
growth the construction
sector has enjoyed recently, with a lot of companies
working with very limited
capacity to take on more
work. This is forcing many
to rethink their recruitment
strategies, with more focus
on graduate recruitment and
in-house training.
Jennifer Graham from Edinburgh
is a perfect example of a graduate who has been taken on by a
large construction firm. Jennifer,
who recently completed her MSc
in Construction Project Management, was in high demand and
used Peace Recruitment to secure
an Assistant Project Management
position with the Sweett Group
even before she had finished her
degree.
Jennifer comments: “I guess I am
lucky to have graduated when I
did, as the skills shortage meant it
was a good time to be looking for
a job in the construction industry.
I registered with Peace before I
finished my MSc, and was lucky
enough to secure the position I
am in now before I graduated.”
“Finding Peace Recruitment to
assist me was a huge help. I saw
an advert online whilst searching for graduate Project Manager
jobs and decided to submit my
CV, shortly after Chris Peace gave
me a call and invited me in for a
chat. At the time I was half way
through my Master’s degree and
although I was keen to find a
graduate position, I felt I didn’t
know the industry well enough to
make a judgement what type of
companies I should be applying
for and what kind of roles were
available that would suit my skills
and personality. I was keen to talk
to a specialist who had contacts
and experience of recruitment
within the construction industry.
Coming from a non-construction
background, I didn’t want to rush
into something that wouldn’t be
right for me. When I met Chris
it was an informal and friendly
meeting where we discussed my
experience and expectations,
before Chris giving me some of
his recommendations. I really felt
like the process was a personal
one, where Chris took the time
to really understand my interests. This was encouraging and
my discussions with Chris really
helped me to gain confidence and
realise that the skills and personal
attributes I had would be well
suited for a Project Management
role within a consultancy firm.
“Going from being a Postgraduate at University to a graduate
within the PM team was a bit of
an adjustment, and there were
days wh