Higher apprenticeship trainee route
Reimagine your career journey
Apply now and reimagine your career journey
Build your future with Wates to develop your skills, gain industry experience and progress your career.
Our structured three-year higher apprentice trainee programme will give you the foundations you need to build your career. You will receive a bespoke development plan, industry-recognised qualifications and mentoring and support throughout.
Once you’ve completed your programme, you will progress into the next stage of your career at the assistant manager level.
Technical and behavioural development
During the programme, we will give you the tools, guidance, and support
you’ll need for your role. We want you to build your confidence and
know-how so you can excel here.
Behaviours, attitudes and values are important too. You’ll take part in fun
and engaging workshops throughout the programme. These will focus on
providing you with powerful insights to align with our professional
standards.
You will also complete several placements as part of our programme.
This will give you a well-rounded view of a project’s life cycle. Placements
will last a few weeks at a time. They are a great way to meet new people,
ask lots of questions and develop your knowledge.
Special recognition
Shining a spotlight on our talented trainees at our special event
We celebrate our promoted trainees with a memorable awards presentation
that highlights our passion for nurturing and championing talent,
recognising hard work and fostering an environment where people can
succeed, flourish and embody our purpose.
Qualifications you will receive
Professional qualifications are integral to our programme. Depending on
your degree subject, you will gain the industry-recognised qualifications
you need to succeed.
-
Non-industry-related degree: You’ll work towards a level 4 qualification
in the relevant subject for your role, so you have the knowledge required
to progress to Chartership. This will be with either the CIOB (Chartered
Institute of Building), CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services
Engineers) or RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). -
Industry-related degree: If you have a related industry degree, you can
begin your Chartership immediately
Building services engineering management
Our Building Services teams focus on how the design, installation and maintenance of services and equipment can support a great building. For this discipline, you will play an important role in a project’s life cycle. You will focus on developing your technical on-site knowledge, as well as your commercial and project management skills.
Business management
In this programme, you’ll rotate across key business functions, including Commercial, Production, Bid, Finance and IT. This will give you a broad overview of the business, so once you’ve finished the programme, you can decide which discipline to work in.
Commercial management
This programme helps you build an understanding of the commercial function within a project, for example, cost, profit and risk management. You will also build relationships with external customers and our supply chain, and will actively monitor the financial status of projects.
Design management
In this programme, you’ll be helping design a project in order to reduce risk and maximise return. You will engage with a variety of stakeholders, from architects to subcontractors. You’ll maintain good relationships throughout as you collaborate, review and analyse information around the design.
Development management
For this programme, you will support the Project and Land team. You will focus on finding new land opportunities, as well as consultant and stakeholder management and planning.
Bid/estimating management
You will have a commercial focus and be involved in work-winning during the bidding / pre-construction phase of projects. Your tasks will include preparing cost estimates, completing tender documents and producing cost plans, while building key stakeholder relationships.
Planning management
In this programme, you will play a vital role in both the pre-construction and construction phases of a project. You will develop plans, schedules and programmes to ensure projects run to schedule and to the highest standards. You will closely monitor the project’s life cycle and collaborate across teams to identify potential risks and opportunities.
Production/site management
You will help to ensure projects are delivered safely, on time and within budget. You will oversee subcontractor and operative activities and be involved with several of our business workstreams, placing you right at the heart of everything.
Social value management
In this programme, you will help our Social Value team to organise and run projects and activities that support our local communities. For example, supporting pre-employment programmes and working with social enterprises. You will build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and support the team with reporting to monitor impact.
Apprentice Engineer
As a Student Engineer Trainee at Wates, you will be responsible for the functional characteristics of a building that take it from being an empty shell to becoming a comfortable, occupied space. Tasks may vary from designing the air filtration system in a forensic lab, controlling the temperature in an office or engineering the floodlights in a sports stadium. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in a broad and varied role within the construction and building services industry.
Apprentice Planner
As a Planning Management Trainee at Wates, you’ll be given the fantastic opportunity to be part of both preconstruction and construction project teams as they develop construction plans and programmes across a wide range of construction projects, including leisure centres, schools, high-rise developments, prisons, hospitals, offices and more.
Apprentice Surveyor
As a Student Surveyor at Wates, you will develop an understanding of the commercial function within a project. This will include understanding the processes and activities in relation to cost, profit and risk management.
Why choose Wates?
We believe great careers are built on opportunity, support and a sense of belonging. Whether you're taking your first step or looking to grow your expertise, you'll join a team that invests in your development and champions your success. Here are some of the benefits of working with us:
- Supportive and inclusive environment
- Competitive industry salary
- Professional qualifications
- Learning and development
- Health & wellness programme
- Volunteering days
- Employer pension contribution
- Car salary sacrifice scheme
- Industry-leading family policies
Amelia, Building Services Management Trainee
"My name is Amelia Bleasdale and I’m a trainee for SES.
I’d say no day is really the same when working in construction. You learn so, so much, and you get to meet so many different people. Usually I’m working alongside the subcontractors and the operatives on site and also the design teams, making sure that all the drawings are in, all organised and everything like that, and there’s no clashes so that there’s no issues when we actually get on to site.
I love being able to see the tangible results from all the work you’ve put in from the very beginning of the project all the way through to the very end, and then you can actually see all the hard work that you and the rest of the team have put in.
I’d say when joining the training scheme, you just need to be yourself, and I’d also say you need to read a lot about the different aspects of the business, because there are so many different roles you can go into. You could go into design, or you could go into being an engineer. I think it’s really important to read around all of those to gain a better understanding of what you potentially might like to do.”
Chardae, Commercial Management Trainee
"My name is Chardae Opoko-Afranie, and I am a commercial management trainee.
So day to day, I’ll come into the office. We might have a team meeting just to find out what’s on track—like what payments have been put through, what payments need to go through, the subcontractors, finding out who’s on site, who’s not on site, what’s been done.
No one’s expecting you to come into the job and know everything off the bat. I came straight from school, so I didn’t know anything about construction, and everyone’s just really friendly. Everyone encourages you to learn.
I like being able to see the end product and being able to say that I was involved in something that could be there for potentially forever."
Lauren, Design Management Trainee
"My name is Lauren McVeigh and I’m a trainee design manager. As a design manager, we’re responsible for being sort of a project manager, but specifically for design. So, we manage a team of consultants which includes architects, engineers, and mechanical and electrical. Everybody you speak to is an expert in what they’re doing, so you’re just constantly learning lots and lots of stuff.”
Khushi, Design Management Trainee
"My name is Khushi Varsani, and I’m a Design Management trainee. I participate in meetings with architects, engineers, the client, and other stakeholders. I review drawings to check for compliance with project specifications and standards. I’m training – really learning and developing – to understand design management, the construction industry, and doing placements and workshops through the scheme.
“My advice would be to come in with a positive mindset and have confidence in your abilities.”
Tanvir, former Bid Management Trainee
"My name is Tanvir Ahmed, I work for Wates Construction (Northern Counties), and I’m an Assistant Bid Manager.
“We’re the first step in construction. So, you have construction where you’re actually building, whereas [in] pre-construction, you’re actually winning the work. Sometimes you deliver schools, sometimes you deliver Life and Science buildings, sometimes it’s a research facility, so actually going and visiting the projects that you’ve tendered for, worked on, it gives you that little bit of boost and confidence to say that oh I worked on that project and now it actually exists.”
Kian, Production Management Trainee
"My name’s Kian Ledger. I’m a production management trainee. A lot of my job involves checking health and safety on site. I typically get into the office about 7:30, be on site, office permits checks in the morning, stuff like that. And whatever issues arise during the day, I try and solve them – whether that be health and safety issues, buildability issues, money issues, commercial, whatever it may be.
“I do find it very rewarding, especially when you’re working on good projects as well – things that are going to help other people. Don’t be scared of asking. Ask questions and put yourself out there. The whole idea of being a trainee is that you learn.”
Applications open in October 2026
Our recruitment process includes an application form, situational questions, a video interview and an assessment centre, with successful candidates receiving an offer within a week and opportunities to connect with us before starting in September.
Here's a step-by-step guide to the process:
- We open applications for our trainee programmes once a year.
- We can only accept your first application and will automatically withdraw any additional applications.
- As part of the process, you must complete an application form and answer several Situational Application questions.
- The next stage is a recorded video interview.
- The final stage of the process will be at the Assessment Centre.
- We will let you know the outcome of your application within a week of attending the Assessment Centre.
- If we offer you a place, we will keep in touch with you through events and networking opportunities before you start in September.
Flexible working
We provide an environment that encourages flexible working through working arrangements and benefits.
Reward and benefits
We offer competitive pay, flexible benefits, 26 days’ holiday and generous family leave.
Learning and development
We empower our colleagues to excel and thrive through comprehensive learning and development opportunities.
