Wates Group

Wates Group 2024 graduate opportunities}

Company Company Profile

Our Business
We believe in delivering the promise. That’s why we are focused on becoming the first UK contractor to deliver for customers on time, on budget, every time.

We are focused on markets where we can add value and customers with whom we share values. This way, we can understand what matters most to our customers, and help them deliver their business objectives by reliably delivering against those priorities.

Our businesses focus on serving the construction market: Construction, Retail & Interiors and Living Space. Each has their own team of dedicated specialists, but can call on the extensive resources of the Group to deliver expertise, whatever the demands of the project.

In addition, we have a land, planning and investment business, Wates Developments which works with landowners to acquire land, and house builders in joint venture to develop residential schemes in Southern England. Needspace? is a flexible office space business, offering a wide range of office space solutions, from one week to one year and beyond, in the South East.

We work with clients in all different sectors including Education, Retail, Affordable Housing and Residential, Commercial and Retail, Fit-out, Hotels and Leisure, Public sector and many more.

Our People
As a family-owned business we know that our people are at the core of our ongoing success. We are very proud to have been accredited with Investors in People Gold Award as well as being named Contractor of the Year, Employer of the Year and received the Judges Supreme Award at the Construction News Awards, recognising our position as a leader in our industry.

Wates has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, the BiTC Company of the Year Award and we achieved Platinum status in the BiTC Corporate Responsibility Index.

We recognise that different people want different things from a workplace, so visit our website to learn more about how we work, our culture and what's important to our business and customers.

Our Commitment
Our people are at the heart of what we do. By investing in their development we create the environment for our people to grow and to fulfil their career ambitions. Our ethos is to promote from within. We provide support from on-the-job training, technical and interpersonal skills training through to leadership development courses and professional development paths.

Personal development at Wates is about helping you to achieve your personal goals and aspirations in alignment with the company in order to help achieve the strategy, vision and values of the organisation

With a structured two stage appraisal process, our people and their line manager spend valuable time discussing performance, objectives and development. This is the key to achieving personal success.

Visit the Wates website for more information and to submit your application.

Case Studies

  • Name: George Adams
  • Role: Production Management Trainee

The Management Trainee scheme has given me the opportunity to learn and develop whilst being on-site. I joined Wates’ Management Trainee scheme after completing my Construction Management degree, having had some previous experience on site as a labourer. I enjoy what I do, the best thing about working for Wates is the people that I have worked with who have supported me so far.

  • Name: Zak Hussain
  • Role: Production Management Trainee

I joined Wates after I left school and worked on various sites as an apprentice, building up my skills and knowledge with support from my team and line manager. This provided me with an opportunity to progress onto the Management Trainee Scheme and further enhance my skills, responsibilities and experience. Wates has given me a great opportunity to continually learn, gain academic and practical knowledge. I enjoy being on site and getting involved to deliver some outstanding projects. I aspire to be a section manager with Wates and know that I can achieve this through hard work, knowledge application and support from my team.

Training & Profiles

We are currently looking for motivated individuals with a passion for learning and a keen interest in the Construction industry to join our Management Trainee programmes. We have designed our programmes to be a great step for those wishing to develop a career in this exciting industry, ensuring it combines technical, behavioural and professional development with on the job experience on our diverse projects across the country.

Whether you are a school or college leaver or have a degree in either Construction or an unrelated subject we would like to hear from you if Construction is your number one career choice.

No previous Construction experience required! All you need is a passion for Construction and the positive impact it has on communities and the built environment we live in as well as the motivation to learn from this excellent development opportunity.

Application Procedure