No wrong path: two routes into McTaggart Construction
There’s no single way into a career in construction. For Kate Curley and David Evans, the routes couldn’t look more different – but both found their way to McTaggart Construction, and both are proof that the right opportunity can turn up when you least expect it.
Kate: from labourer to Apprentice of the Year
A year ago, Kate Curley was on site at our Johnstone Castle development in Renfrewshire, working as a labourer and quietly figuring out what she wanted her future in construction to look like.
Fast forward twelve months, and Kate has just been named first year Apprentice of the Year at Kelvin College for Joinery.
When Kate decided to pursue a joinery apprenticeship with McTaggart Construction, she didn’t wait for the perfect moment – she enrolled at Springburn Campus, part of Glasgow Kelvin College, on an accelerated programme that compresses four years of training into two. Since then, she’s been supported by her mentor, Customer Care Manager Alex Nicol, who’s made sure she’s not just learning, she’s doing.
“Kate has been a pleasure to work with from day one,” said Alex. “She picks things up quickly, she’s not afraid to ask questions, and she takes real pride in the quality of her work. It’s been great to watch her grow in confidence over the past year, and this award is thoroughly deserved.”
Kate herself put it simply: “I’m absolutely delighted to have won this award, it means a lot. The support I’ve had from the team, and from Alex in particular, has made such a difference. I love what I do, and I can’t wait to see where this takes me.”
Her long-term goal? To run her own joinery company, with an all-female team.
David: a second chance through fair pay and stable work
David Evans’s route looked very different. Before joining McTaggart Construction, David had been economically inactive for eleven years.
As accredited real Living Wage employers, we pay based on what people actually need to live – not just the statutory minimum. For David, that meant more than a fair wage: it meant stable, secure employment for the first time in over a decade. Today, he has stable tenancy and is actively contributing to the economy again – proof that fair pay and genuine opportunity can change the course of someone’s working life.
Different starting points, same destination
Kate and David didn’t arrive at McTaggart Construction the same way. One came through an apprenticeship and accelerated training; the other through a second chance and fair, stable employment. What they have in common is that the door was open when they needed it.
As a business marking 80 years in Scottish communities, we’re proud to back that up – through apprenticeships, work placements, real Living Wage accreditation, and a genuine commitment to giving people a route in, whatever stage they’re starting from.
There’s no one way in. Just the way that works
