CCG and Arc-Tech confirm 2026 apprentice intake

Aged between 16 and 20 years old, the young men and women - recruited across joinery, bricklaying, plumbing, and electrical trades – will be split between CCG’s construction division and subsidiary companies, representing a combined £2.4 million investment over the life of their four-year programmes.

The intake lands as CCG heads into August with 39 sites under construction across Scotland, spanning the delivery of 1582 all-tenure homes, student accommodation and care residences.

The group’s new apprentices will be embedded alongside 22 others across the live sites from day one, gaining valuable hands-on experience while learning theory at some of the country’s leading technical colleges. 

Over the course of their four-year programme, this year’s apprentices will support not only CCG’s current site portfolio, but also a project pipeline of 2,000 homes worth an estimated £500 million. 

A significant and growing proportion of this, around three-quarters of secured work, is won through one-to-one, direct-award negotiation rather than competitive tender, which the business attributes to its reputation, track record and the strength of its people, of which there are 645 directly employed across the group.

David Wylie, managing director, CCG (Scotland), said: “Investing £2.4m in this year’s intake is one of the clearest demonstrations we can give of our commitment to the next generation, and to the long-term future of the Scottish construction industry.

“This is our largest trade intake since before the pandemic, and it comes at a time when many businesses across the sector, particularly SMEs, are under real pressure. For us, sustained investment in people isn’t optional; it’s fundamental to how we plan for growth, protect jobs, and continue delivering against a £500m pipeline of work. 

“Our people, and our reputation for delivering for clients, are the reason around three-quarters of that work now comes to us directly, and we wish to repay their trust in us by ensuring our people and the next generation are ready to deliver.”

Alongside the trade apprenticeship intake, CCG has also created 13 new traineeships - in disciplines including quantity surveying, assistant site management, construction management and design - and delivered 47 work placements between January and July 2026 alone, with the latter giving young people from across the country their first taste of the construction industry over a one- to six-week posting. 

Of this year’s qualifying cohort, 17 apprentices and trainees completed their training, with 11 retained in permanent roles across the group.

Lynn Stodart, group HR manager, CCG (Scotland), added: “We are extremely proud of our apprenticeship programme, as it is about far more than filling trade roles. It’s about giving young people from communities across Scotland a genuine route into a skilled career, at a time when opportunities like this matter more than ever.

“Every year, we work hard to ensure our intake reflects the communities we build in and to broaden the range of people who see construction as a career open to them. By working alongside our highly skilled contract teams, every apprentice who comes through our doors is given a platform to succeed, and we look forward to seeing how this year’s cohort develops in the weeks and months ahead.”

Among the group’s intake, Arc-Tech (Scotland) has confirmed six new apprentices will join the business this month across its electrical and plumbing trades.

The new intake, aged between seventeen and nineteen years old, takes Arc-Tech’s total apprentices employed to 19.

Founded in 2016, Arc-Tech has grown from a small founding team into a business employing 120 people and generating an annual turnover in excess of £35m. The business supports work across a variety of sectors, including tailored solar & renewable heating and fire suppression solutions for new build housing, commercial, and industrial contracts.

John Gallacher, managing director, Arc-Tech (Scotland), said: “From day one, we made a conscious decision to invest in our people, and that hasn’t changed as we’ve grown. Welcoming six new apprentices this year is a continuation of that commitment, and a direct response to the skills our industry needs as Scotland pushes ahead with new housing, retrofit and net zero targets.

“We’re proud that every one of this year’s qualifiers has stayed on with us. That’s not an accident - it reflects the amount of care we have put into training, mentoring and giving people a genuine route into a long-term career in building services over the last decade.”