Engineering and construction apprenticeships lay the foundations for company’s success
A Scottish civil engineering and construction firm is building its business from the ground up, with apprentices laying solid foundations for its future.
Since introducing apprenticeships in 2021, W M Donald has seen its turnover steadily increase to over £60m.
Apprenticeships have created a steady flow of professional, skilled workers who are critical to the Aberdeenshire company’s expansion. They’re also supporting W M Donald’s sustainability goals through training in environmentally responsible methods and helping to maintain its three years carbon neutral operations.
Rachel O’Donnell, Human Resources Manager at W M Donald, said: “Apprenticeships are central to our success. They’ve contributed to our impressive turnover and play a crucial role in ensuring we have a diverse and sustainable talent pipeline.
“Young people are the future, and we need to believe and invest in them.”
W M Donald’s commitment extends beyond its own success – the Stonehaven firm is working to strengthen the entire industry.
To address a lack of relevant apprenticeships locally, W M Donald created its own vocational programme in partnership with local firms Leiths, JKR, Nicol and Hunter Construction.
When Rachel joined W M Donald in 2021, she led efforts to reintroduce a civil engineering course at North East Scotland College (NESCol). She also approached other civil engineering companies in the area to establish an employer’s forum and ensure that a minimum of 16 new apprentices per year would be trained over five years.
Rachel said: “We’re more powerful as a collective and don’t see ourselves as competitors – we work together for the greater good of the industry. We’ve requested NesCol to provide an additional class due to the overwhelming number of apprenticeship applications we’ve received.”
The two-year programme integrates hands-on experience with academic studies. On-site, apprentices are mentored by senior colleagues with on-the-job coaching for developing essential practical skills.
Second year is customised to employer needs with additional qualifications including manual handling, confined space, first aid and asbestos awareness.
W M Donald has employed 47 apprentices to date and currently has three Foundation Apprentices, 15 Modern Apprentices and six Graduate Apprentices in construction, civil engineering, quantity surveying and mechanics.
Rachel said: “Apprentices give us a fresh perspective and we’re now a young workforce with an average age of 35.
“Apprentices make us an employer of choice and they’re knocking on our door because they know there’s a career here for them.
“I always say one of our apprentices could be the next managing director. It’s just the start of their career path.”
W M Donald’s holistic care takes in everything from financial, literacy and numeracy guidance to emotional support and pairing apprentices with a buddy for transport to and from work.
Apprentices gain hands-on experience in community initiatives, such as heritage landscaping projects, that enhance skills and the company’s reputation in the industry.
Through outreach, W M Donald promotes construction and engineering careers to young people, particularly women. In 2022, W M Donald hired its first female apprentice and recruited three female graduate engineers. Three of the eight staff on the senior leadership team are women and two female engineers hold senior roles.
Rachel said: “The number of women has increased in the company but there’s still work to do. We’ve hosted engineering awareness days in schools and invited students to visit live construction sites to break down barriers and challenge pre-conceptions about the industry.”
Over 12,000 employers support Scottish Apprenticeships, which are work-based learning opportunities or jobs with industry-recognised qualifications.
Scottish Apprenticeships are made for business, developed with employers to ensure they are demand-led and responsive to workforce skills needs.
Rachel said: “We’re proud to be an apprenticeship employer and being a finalist in the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards emphasises that we’re on the right track.”
The winner of the SME Employer of the Year category will be revealed at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards, which takes place on 27 February in the run-up to Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3 to 7 March).
Find out more about the award finalists and the event by visiting apprenticeships.scot/awards.