You’ve heard about Commercial and Contract Management and you want to get into this brilliantly rewarding but misunderstood profession. But how? The most direct route is to join a business with a Commercial and Contracts Graduate scheme. So where do you start?

As a recruitment firm specialising purely in CCM there are some schemes we rate highly and would always look out for, so here are 5 that stand out to us for the following roles:

  • Commercial Manager Jobs
  • Commercial Management Jobs
  • Contract Manager Jobs
  • Contract Negotiator

Rolls Royce

The engineering giant encourages graduates to take their place on one of their many sector-focused schemes, from operations management through to commercial and engineering.

Of course, our interest is in the commercial programme, and the training is superb at Rolls Royce. If we see that an individual has started their career at this company then we can be pretty confident their technical skills will be well rounded.

Through in-house training, modular learning and team-based project work, Rolls Royce seeks to provide opportunities for graduates to begin their career on the front foot and enhance the possibilities for longevity in their field of operation. In their commercial programme, a key focus is placed on developing strategy, building relationships with senior executives and stakeholders and working with teams to understand the value and skill involved in the art of negotiation.

Some programmes here also offer the opportunity to become a member of the IACCM.

Rolls Royce also take pride in sponsoring the Female Undergraduate of the Year category in the TARGETjobs annual awards, and this year awarded the top spot to a mechanical engineering student who demonstrated her passion for promoting women in positions of leadership.

BAE Systems
BAE have multiple intakes of graduates for their programmes; in January, June and September. Their key messaging for graduates to ‘support you all the way, because your success will drive ours’ – demonstrates the value they put into developing their own talent.

Their graduate programme is far and away the largest in the industry and many of the current leaders in the CCM profession spent their formative years at BAE. The BAE scheme is arguably the most comprehensive in the industry.

Their commercial scheme offers the opportunity for candidates to take responsibility for work across a range of departments, engage with stakeholders, identify and offer solutions to risks and changes to project timelines and understand financial controls.

Babcock

As a global engineering services organisation, the team at Arguile recognises Babcock’s position in the marketplace as an established and profitable company. They have programmes in engineering and science, business management and project management, giving candidates the tools to kickstart their career.

They have made intensive investments in their graduate programmes, with locations country-wide, spanning as far and wide as Plymouth, Leicester and Bristol. This is positive for individuals looking to move into CCM as the opportunities are extensive and far-reaching.

Their schemes offer hundreds of places for potential candidates and we know that the competition to up-skill through programmes such as this is tough.

Raytheon

Graduates that take up a place on a scheme with Raytheon are joining one of the biggest commercial functions in the country. Their projects are purposeful and offer opportunities in a range of areas of technology.

A stand-out point for us is that in the UK, Raytheon also offer their graduates the opportunity to participate in a Leadership Development Programme. This is an essential skill in CCM, as strong and confident leaders are needed in the profession to demonstrate innovation and drive change.

As the third-largest defence contractor in the United States, joining this programme will put you in good stead to accelerate your career and provide the skills that will be needed for the future of CCM.

Civica

You caught us out! We said we were taking a look at the best graduate schemes; and Civica’s offering isn’t strictly a graduate scheme. However, as an outsourcing and specialist system services company, Civica has one of the fastest-growing commercial functions in the UK today.

They have an annual intake of apprentices and recognise that more traditional routes through to these functions, such as university and graduate scheme programmes aren’t for everyone. Our team have identified that if you are a candidate-driven by a quick-pace of learning and the acceleration of your career, Civica has to be a leading option for you.

As an apprentice at Civica, you will shadow senior team members, be put through the IACCM training process and receive professional internal training.

Best of all, you’ll be paid for it too!

They only take on a handful of apprentices each year, it’s competitive and you’ll need good A-levels or equivalent but if you are in two minds about university and want to get into your first Commercial Management role then this has to be an option.

For new graduates, the option of completing a graduate scheme can offer on-going training and support, better career prospects and for some, global opportunities. Having said this, graduate schemes in the sectors CCM operates within see fierce competition, as demand for highly skilled workers increases.

If you are thinking of getting into the industry and want to know more about these graduate schemes, please get in touch with one of our consultants.

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There are so many others we could have included – so what else should be on the list? Let us know your experiences with these schemes in the comments below.