CCG and Cruden back 11-week construction pilot for 15 unemployed young people in North Lanarkshire

Contractors CCG (Scotland) and Cruden have joined an 11-week pilot in North Lanarkshire that gives 15 unemployed young people employability support and hands-on construction experience, CCG said.

The Community Construction Partnership Programme is coordinated by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and brings together North Lanarkshire Council, Routes to Work, New College Lanarkshire and industry partners including housebuilder Cruden and CCG (Scotland), according to CCG. It is being highlighted at the start of Scottish Careers Week, which SDS said runs from 9 to 13 November.

CCG is providing three days of on-site work experience for every participant on its 100-home Dunottar Avenue development in Coatbridge, where it is building council homes. The company said the programme is the first time Cruden has worked with CCG Construction on a local employability project.

Anna Baird, careers adviser at SDS, said: "All of the young people have actively been looking for work but taking that first step can be difficult without experience."

How the programme works

The pilot was developed by SDS careers advisers Anna Baird, Suzanne McGonigle and Delia Lafferty, CCG said, and builds on an idea from Cruden, which approached SDS to explore new ways of encouraging young people into construction.

Michael Palethope, community benefits manager at Cruden, said: "We approached Skills Development Scotland with that vision, recognising the value of bringing together their expertise and our industry knowledge."

The programme is delivered at New College Lanarkshire's Coatbridge campus. Routes to Work is helping participants obtain Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards and The King's Trust is funding personal protective equipment, according to CCG.

APEX Training is running a hands-on construction workshop, and Developing the Young Workforce Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire has supplied resources to help participants understand their payslips. Participants also receive careers guidance, CV support and mock interview practice.

Two participants spoke in the CCG release. Harper Crooks, from Newmains, said she joined to gain CSCS qualifications and learn about health and safety, and would ideally like to be a bricklayer. Kayla Walton, from Cumbernauld, said she would like to do joinery and hopes to find a job once the course ends.

The Dunottar Avenue site

The Dunottar Avenue scheme in Shawhead is one of North Lanarkshire Council's new-build housing developments. The council said it comprises 76 houses and cottage flats of two, three and four bedrooms plus 24 flats, all delivered by CCG (Scotland). Eleven of the homes are designated for wheelchair users, and CCG said the houses and cottage flats will be served by air source heat pumps for space heating and hot water.

A sod cutting in August 2025 marked the start of work. The council's project directory gives a start date of 4 August 2025 and an estimated completion of November 2027, while the council's news releases and CCG have said the Coatbridge developments would be delivered by mid-2027.

In August 2025 CCG managing director David Wylie, quoted in the council's release, said CCG was set to deliver 230 affordable homes across two Coatbridge developments. By April 2026 the council said its Coatbridge-area schemes at Dunottar Avenue, School Street and Viewpark would together deliver 253 affordable homes, with a multi-use games area and play park on the wider Dunottar Avenue site. The council's new supply programme aims to deliver 6,000 new homes by 2035.

Community benefits

When CCG started on site, Wylie cited job creation, apprenticeships and engagement with schools as community benefits of the project. In June 2026 the company ran construction activities for Primary 4 and 5 pupils from Shawhead Primary School and St Bernard's Primary School under the same commitments, the council said.

Councillor Michael McPake, the council's housing convener, said at the time that the council secures a range of benefits when agreeing new-build contracts with housing developers.

Cruden is separately building 11 supported accommodation units and six flats for social rent at Bank Street, Coatbridge, for the council, which is due for completion by summer 2027. Alongside that project, Cruden said in the council's release, it has been delivering workshops at Coatbridge High School to encourage young people into construction careers.

CCG said other local partners and employers will support STEM activities and industry inspiration sessions throughout the 11-week programme.