Location
London (hybrid; office-based with site visits)

Hours
Full time (exact hours not stated in the advert)

Salary
Competitive salary, plus car allowance

About the Role
Wates is recruiting a Cognate Planning Graduate Management Trainee to join its 2026 trainee programme in London. This route is for graduates with a degree relevant to construction planning. Working alongside experienced planners, you’ll help programme, monitor and manage a wide range of construction projects, from initial tender through to completion. Using industry-leading planning software, you’ll help build and maintain project programmes, track key milestones, and flag risks or delays before they affect delivery. You’ll also help analyse performance data for reports that support project controls, contribute to planning meetings on progress and resourcing, and work closely with project, design, commercial and delivery teams. Regular site visits will show you how construction work is sequenced and delivered in practice.

Experience
No previous experience is required. This is an entry-level graduate programme for people starting a career in the built environment.

About you
You’ll be passionate about building a career in construction, curious, and committed to your own development. You build good working relationships with colleagues, clients, subcontractors and supply chain partners, take ownership of your work, and act with integrity. You’ll bring an analytical, solution-focused mindset, strong organisation, and the ability to adapt and prioritise. You must be willing to travel to different project sites across the region or nationally as needed.

Qualifications
By September 2027, you must have a bachelor’s degree in a subject relevant to the role, with a predicted or achieved 2:2 or above. A Basic DBS check is required.

Benefits
Private medical insurance, pension scheme, life assurance, flexible benefits, car allowance, car salary sacrifice scheme, health and wellness programme, enhanced family leave, 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, and your birthday off. You’ll also get mentoring, structured training and support towards professional qualifications and chartership.

Good to know
Applications may close early if there’s high demand, and only one application per recruitment year is accepted. Wates asks candidates to complete their application without AI tools. Reasonable adjustments are available on request via [email protected].