Bucknall Austin - General - UK, Protégé 2007

Date: 22 Nov 2006

Property and construction consultancy Bucknall Austin have launched a nationwide hunt for the sharpest student talent in the country and have aptly named the competition Protégé 2007.

Protégé 2007 will put budding undergraduates from construction and non-construction courses through a series of technical, business and interpersonal tests early next year in order to see who best matches the needs of current employers. The winner will secure a job with Bucknall Austin, a cash prize of £3,000 and the opportunity to work across the globe.

The judging panel will be headed by David Bucknall, the chairman and founder of the firm together with Sir Digby Jones, the ex CBI boss and one UK businesses most famous faces who joined Buckall Austin earlier this year as an adviser.

The competition , which this week received support from the RICS, will be a great platform to nurture new talent in the industry and will explain just what the job of a construction graduate entails to those students who are not studying construction as a first degree.

Graham Hastie, Sheffield office managing partner comments "We are looking to attract candidates with personality, enthusiasm, energy and a sense of fun" "We are a client facing consultancy so our people have to be able to cultivate relationships as well as being technically excellent".

The competition is open to both cognate and non cognate undergraduates studying in their final years and to cognate students in their second years looking for a year out placement. After registering in the next couple two and half months the students will take their first distance challenge, a questionnaire to assess their suitability for the competition.
This will whittle the numbers entering to the final competing candidates, who will then start the comprehensive and rigorous assessment process. There will be a further distance learning test set, followed by a live challenge day that will see the candidates working in teams on business related tests set by Bucknall Austin.

The final shortlist will face an interview panel chaired by David Bucknall including Sir Digby Jones and other major industry figures and winners will be announced Spring 2007.

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