With an ongoing nationwide skills shortage, Dandara is keen to help foster the talents of school leavers and college and university graduates. According to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), an extra 26,500 construction workers will be needed in Scotland by the end of 2025.

Ryan joined Dandara Aberdeen in September and has now been given a permanent position as an assistant site manager.

The 25-year-old, who is from Aberdeen and graduated with a degree in Construction Management from the city’s Robert Gordon University, said: “Although university gave me a good broad stroke knowledge, I had very little practical experience of being on site and the pandemic didn’t help.

“Since starting my training I have been shown every aspect of an assistant site manager’s job and I am really gaining confidence as time goes on. Dandara has been fantastic putting me through lots of courses, from general site safety to managing crane operations on site.

“I know other friends who have graduated and struggled to find jobs because they don’t have the right certifications, I am just so grateful to Dandara for giving me this opportunity. My ultimate dream is to go on to become a project manager with Dandara.”

Site assistant Daniel (20) from Portlethen is on a six-month placement with Dandara while completing a four-year construction course also at Robert Gordon University.

He said: “We were offered the chance of a simulated placement with the University but I really wanted to go out there and gain some real, practical experience on site, so I contacted Dandara to ask if they had any openings as I had heard they were a great company to work with.

“I’ve learned a lot in such a short space of time working alongside site manager Peter Mackintosh who has been sharing his expertise with me. I now know a lot about the health and safety side of projects, which is so important to Dandara.”

Daniel is returning to university at the end of August and believes his time with Dandara has given him a much greater understanding of construction management going into his 4th year studying. He said: “A few days on site are definitely worth more than months with my head stuck in a book!”

Dandara has developments across Aberdeen, with plans for future growth in Aberdeen and the Shire, with continued building at Hazelwood & The Grange and a large site in Crichie, Inverurie. Offices and commercial units are available at City South Portlethen with more building to take place there.

Dandara Aberdeen operations director Austin McGuire said: “Encouraging young people into the industry is vitally important to safeguard Scotland’s economic growth – it’s not just about putting money into more training courses; companies have to be prepared to nurture recruits and give them the practical experience they need to thrive.

“At Dandara we have always had success with a ‘grow your own managers’ approach – we like training the best young people and giving them the career opportunities to develop within the business. I started with Dandara myself early in my career and have been with the business for 23 years now. It has been a very supportive company to work for.

“I know Ryan well – he is a very enthusiastic character and has been a tremendous asset to Dandara Aberdeen since he joined, I’m looking forward to seeing what he achieves in the years ahead! Likewise, I am hearing great things about Daniel and it would be great to see him again when he finishes his course.”