Aker Solutions is thought to be the first company in the UK to have gained an accreditation for its graduate programme for construction engineers following a pilot by the ECITB.
While there are other construction graduate schemes, it is understood none are accredited, partly because there is no industry body to do so.
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) developed a pilot programme last year and Aker has been the first to get external accreditation for its four-year construction graduate development programme.
Among the first tranche of construction graduates to achieve the professional accreditation will be three female graduates, Clare Davidson, Victoria Reid and Rebecca Masson-Graham, from Aker’s Aberdeen base.
“Offshore construction engineering has traditionally been an experienced-based discipline with engineers coming from an offshore supervisory background,” said Mike Forbes, managing director of maintenance, modifications and operations for Aker Solutions in Aberdeen.
“There is no institutional distinction for construction graduates to work towards professional accreditation or chartership.
“However, we felt it was important for our employees’ career development that the training they received with Aker Solutions was of an industry-recognised calibre.”
The four-year rotational programme sees graduates work across a wide range of projects within the construction environment.
Victoria Reid, 25, from Westhill, a construction, design and management honours graduate of Robert Gordon University, is in the second year of the programme.
She is currently writing commissioning procedures, mark-up system limits and assisting with commissioning of systems offshore.
“The programme has given me the opportunity to achieve a basic understanding of the different departments, as well as in-depth leaning with the construction team,” she said.
“I have been involved with estimating, planning and cost, process and design, sitting with the engineers and getting a basic understanding of their roles, but mainly with construction and commissioning.
“With the programme now being ECITB recognised, it will help with us moving forward and allow me to progress towards my chosen career path within the company.”
Nigel Spencer, director of development and quality at the ECITB, said: “We’re very pleased to recognise this exciting programme.
“These graduates have put in a tremendous amount of hard work to get where they are, and I’m sure they all have long careers ahead of them.”
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