Costain has welcomed a record 50 apprentices this year, more than double its 2025 intake, as it looks to strengthen its pipeline of talent to support the delivery of major infrastructure projects in the UK.
The apprentices will work across Costain’s infrastructure sectors, including roads, rail, transport, energy, water, defence and nuclear. They are taking up roles spanning civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, quantity surveying, finance and project management.
Costain offers apprenticeships at all levels, including degree-level programmes, with training lasting between 12 and 60 months depending on the qualification. Apprentices combine study with practical experience on live infrastructure projects.
Among the projects they will contribute to are the London tunnels section of HS2, through the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture, water infrastructure programmes with Southern Water and United Utilities, and infrastructure upgrades at Sellafield.
The company has also recruited apprentices to its Infrastructure Delivery Partnership (IDP) at Sellafield’s site in west Cumbria. They will work in areas including engineering, project controls and health and safety.
Supporting skilled workers
Costain said the recruitment has been informed by analysis of historical skills gaps in the region and will support the development of a local pool of skilled workers. It is also exceeding its commitment for apprentices to make up 10% of the IDP workforce.
Catherine Duffy, chief people and sustainability officer at Costain, said the industry needs more skilled workers to deliver critical infrastructure and that the apprenticeship programme provides vocational routes into employment.
“[The programme] is designed to help apprentices earn while they learn and gain qualifications with real-world experience to help them build a meaningful, long-term career,” she said.
The company also operates a Graduates and Apprentices (GRaAPS) network to support the professional development of its early-career workforce.
Costain said details of its 2027 early careers and apprenticeship opportunities will be released in November.
