North Lanarkshire Council’s Summer Placement Programme concluded last week with a celebration event hosted at Ravenscraig Sports Centre.

McLaughlin & Harvey supported the programme for the second consecutive year, welcoming Emma Keeper and Ben Skea to join us over the summer period. The programme gives young people the chance to gain practical workplace experience, develop new skills and explore potential career paths.

Emma, from Taylor High School in Motherwell, joined our Design Management team, while Ben, from Bellshill Academy, spent his placement with our Environmental team.

Emma spent her placement getting an insight into Design Management, sitting in on meetings, learning about different career paths, using new software and studying live projects. She also had the opportunity to visit some of our sites, something she describes as the highlight of her placement.

“Being on site was by far my favourite part of my placement because I have never experienced something like that before. It was great to see in person a project that people had been talking about and I loved getting to know what being on site was like.”

Emma gained her first experience of professional working life and became more confident interacting with colleagues across the business. Emma hopes to become an architect in the future however, her placement has given her food for thought and she is open to exploring opportunities in Design Management.

Ben joined our Environmental team, where his placement included completing toolbox talks, undertaking courses through the Supply Chain Sustainability School and reviewing audits from previous site visits.

Like Emma, getting out onto site was one of the highlights of his experience. The placement also helped Ben develop his communication skills and confidence and he would now consider a potential career in construction.

“I would enjoy this type of career now because of this opportunity,” he said.

Both Emma and Ben would strongly recommend the Summer Placement Programme and believe it’s a valuable experience for those who may still be deciding on a career path.

We hope their time with us has provided a valuable insight into working life in the construction industry and will help shape their next career steps.