Graham staff complete sustainability training

HILLSBOROUGH based construction company Graham is among ten of Northern Ireland’s leading construction companies to take part (along with a further 10 subcontractors from each of their respective supply chains) in a new training programme, which aims to improve business sustainability in Northern Ireland’s construction sector.

Graham employees Jacqueline Gibson, Sustainability Co-ordinator, and Procurement Manager Berina Rice, undertook the training programme which is the result of a partnership between CITB-Construction Skills Northern Ireland, NRC and ARUP working together for the good of the industry in the current challenging economic environment.

The Responsible Sourcing of Materials (RSM) training programme enables firms to meet the growing number of RSM requirements set by corporate clients and Government Procurement bodies.

Barry Neilson, Chief Executive CITB - Construction Skills Northern Ireland, who part funded the scheme said: “The training programme is extremely valuable to construction companies as RSM is becoming a more central part of the industry and there is increased demand by clients for sustainable materials. By improving their knowledge of RSM and increasing their use of sustainable construction products, companies will be in a better position to secure contracts.”

The Responsible Sourcing training programme has been devised and developed by Architect Michael Tennyson and Quantity Surveyor Declan Heggarty and they are co-ordinating its implementation on behalf of Northern Regional College.

The programme has been funded by the Department of Employment and Learning’s Innovation fund as part of its Carbon Zero NI initiative. The Carbon Zero NI initiative provides training to Northern Ireland’s construction leaders, in the area of responsible sourcing of materials.