Construction consultancy underlines its commitment to investing in the future
George Royle, Jack O’Boyle and Roberto Borroni
At a time when economic uncertainty is the focus and opportunities for young people has lessened during the coronavirus pandemic, John Rowan and Partners has underlined its commitment to investing in the future.
Known for developing young talent, John Rowan and Partners has recruited five new team members, three of which are graduates.
Managing Partner, Gurpal Virdee said “We feel very fortunate that at a time when many other organisations are having to freeze their recruitment, we are in a position to take on young talent. We have a history of proactively recruiting graduates and encourage them to take charge of their careers from an early stage.”
“We invest in our training because we know we are only as good as our people. We have a strong track record for progressing careers through our graduate development scheme and our fantastic APC support programme, which consistently delivers a very high pass rate.”
New recruit, George Royle, who graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management from Nottingham Trent University is excited by the potential opportunities at John Rowan and Partners. He said: “I feel lucky to be starting when so many of my fellow graduates have had their job offers delayed or retracted. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity I have been given in these unique circumstances.”
Another new team member, Graduate Building Surveyor Jack O’Boyle, who lives locally, commented “It was great to see three of us, all around the same age starting at John Rowan and Partners at the same time. Starting our working lives during a global pandemic will give as a common perspective and the support network we need to prosper.”
Roberto Borroni, who studied Quantity Surveying at Reading University, added “I like the ethos of the company: people thinking about people. And know that we’ll have the help to obtain further qualifications and to realise our career goals.”
Mash Halai, Chairman and Head of Residential Development & Regeneration, who joined John Rowan and Partners as graduate himself in 1997, said he was looking forward to helping develop and support new starters. “It’s really rewarding to be able to support people at the start of their careers and see them develop. For nearly 40 years the company has worked hard to create a fantastic place to work, investing heavily in training and development. As someone who started as a graduate, I know the potential a graduate has to lead our organisation in the future.”
John Rowan and Partners has a long history of campaigning for graduates in challenging times, launching the Pledge initiative back in 2009 to support the generation of graduates impacted by the 2007 financial crisis. In 2016 the company launched another initiative called Experience Construction. Together with the Construction Youth Trust and Building Magazine this helped to connect companies with schools and raise awareness of the career opportunities within the construction industry.
