R G Carter hosts more than 100 apprentices and graduates at training breakfast

R G Carter brought more than 100 graduates and apprentices together for a breakfast at the Norfolk Food Hall to mark their progress through training and to introduce 20 apprentices who joined the business this year.

The contractor said the guests were colleagues who are currently working towards, newly enrolled on or have recently completed apprenticeships, NVQs, degree programmes, charterships and other professional qualifications over the past four years.

James Carter hosted the event, which the company said celebrated achievements in learning and development across the Group. In his speech he encouraged colleagues to make the most of every opportunity, learn from others and keep challenging themselves through their careers.

The training record

The company traces its apprentice programme back more than five decades. According to R G Carter, the first R G Carter Group training scheme started in 1968, and its in-house training centre later became Carter Academy, based at the firm's original founding site in Drayton, Norfolk.

The Academy says it has trained more than 450 craft apprentices since 2000 and has employed and trained more than 300 management apprentices over the same period. It also says it facilitates more than 10,000 practical industry-led courses a year for employees and the supply chain.

Apprentices trained since 2000 (company states "over")	Number
Craft apprentices	More than 450
Management apprentices	More than 300

In a separate post opening recruitment for this year's management and craft apprentices, R G Carter said it has supported construction apprentices for more than 56 years and currently has 58 apprentices working across the Group. The opportunities span estimating, project management, quantity surveying, electrical, plumbing and carpentry.

5% Club Gold

The scale of the programme has been recognised by The 5% Club, which awarded R G Carter Gold accredited membership for the third year running. The company said 11% of its workforce met the criteria for Gold, including 58 apprentices across the Group.

Mark Cameron OBE, Chief Executive at The 5% Club, said: "We are incredibly proud of the outstanding employers, like R G Carter, who continue to raise the bar for workplace learning."

The 5% Club lists R G Carter among its Gold members for 2025-26. Gold is for employers with more than 5% of their workforce on earn and learn schemes, and the body said 252 members were recognised in its 2025-26 Employer Audit.

Earlier intake events

R G Carter has also reported other apprentice gatherings. At a welcome event at its Bury St Edmunds office, the company greeted 18 new apprentices and said it then had 56 apprentices across the Firm, two fewer than the 58 it cited in its recruitment and 5% Club posts. A separate post marked the arrival of 12 new management apprentices, whose induction included a tour of the Canary Quay housing development in Norwich. Those posts are undated, and the company has not said whether they describe the same intake as the 20 apprentices introduced at the breakfast.

The firm's history page records that its founder had established his own business by 1921, starting with local housing. Chairman Robert Carter has presented more than 750 long-service clocks to employees across the R G Carter Group since becoming Chairman in 1982.

Recruitment for this year's management and craft apprentices is open, according to the company.