Despite a time of economic uncertainty, when many employers are cutting back on recruitment, filling vacant roles or even struggling to find suitable candidates, Interserve, the international support services and construction group, is making great strides with its graduate programme.

Now in its second year, the successful scheme, tailored to Interserve's private sector support services business, has already seen five graduates through the first of its two-year programme. The scheme is proving so successful that recruiting for the 2013 intake is well under way.

Developing opportunities for young people and enabling career progression is central to Interserve's social economic commitment. Graduates joining the programme benefit from working in a major company that has recently been announced as the first facilities management and support services employer to become a BIFM Recognised Centre, delivering the BIFM qualifications in facilities management through in-house programmes.


Interserve has also been instrumental in piloting and delivering a range of industry-first programmes across the business, including the Facilities Management NVQ Level 3 and the Cleaning, Hard Services and FM apprenticeships, and has been awarded a Grade 2 Ofsted rating (of a four-point grading system) for its provision of education services.

In addition to this, as part of its SustainAbilities programme, Interserve has made a strong commitment to apprenticeships by citing 500 new places will be made available group-wide over the next five years.

The facilities management environment enables each graduate to experience a wide variety of different business disciplines, which might not be so readily available in other industry sectors.

The programme is a two-year scheme and the graduates are provided with continual training and development opportunities to help progress their skills. Structured learning and development programmes are also in place to add leadership skills, improve self-awareness and provide knowledge of non-operational elements of the commercial business unit.

(CD)