R G Carter welcomes 14 new apprentices at Royal Norfolk Showground induction

R G Carter Construction has welcomed 14 new apprentices from across its group at an induction event hosted by the R G Carter Academy team at the Royal Norfolk Showground near Norwich.

The new starters came from R G Carter Construction, Carter Design Group and Eyre Group, the company said.

Managers and directors from across the group gave presentations introducing the business, its values and the apprenticeship programme. The sessions covered health and safety, marketing and communications, and CIMS.

The apprentices also took part in team-building exercises, including a bomb defusal challenge that the company said was designed to test communication and teamwork.

Carter Design Group closed the day with a bridge-building competition, in which teams used paper, string and Sellotape to build the strongest structure they could.

The company said the event was intended to welcome the new cohort, help them make connections and learn more about the business.

The Academy

The welcome event is run by the firm's in-house training arm. According to R G Carter's history pages, the company was founded in 1921 by Robert George Carter, and its in-house training centre later became Carter Academy. The Academy page says the group's first training scheme started in 1968.

R G Carter says the Academy has trained over 450 craft apprentices since 2000 and has employed and trained over 300 management apprentices in the same period. Management apprentices work towards a degree at Level 6 or Level 7.

Apprentices trained since 2000	Number
Craft apprentices	over 450
Management apprentices	over 300

Beyond apprenticeships, the company says the Academy delivers over 4,500 safety, health and environmental training courses a year and facilitates over 10,000 practical industry-led courses a year for its employees and supply chain.

The firm says the Academy aspires to be a beacon of excellence in training craft and management apprentices.

The wider cohort

In its National Apprenticeship Week post for the 2025/2026 cohort, R G Carter said it had 57 apprentices working across the business, having welcomed 18 new apprentices in September, and that those recruits were working on project teams across the eastern region.

A separate recruitment post from the firm put the total at 58 apprentices across the group. Neither page carries a date, and the company's announcement of the welcome event does not say how the 14 attendees relate to those totals.

R G Carter said it delivered over 1,000 apprentice weeks in 2024. Craft training over the last 25 years has covered trades including bricklaying and carpentry, while the company's recruitment post lists openings in estimating, project management, quantity surveying and electrical roles.

The company has been awarded Gold membership by The 5% Club in recognition of its earn and learn apprenticeship scheme.

The company

R.G. Carter Construction Limited, company number 03284871, is registered at 9-11 Drayton High Road, Drayton, Norwich, according to Companies House. It was incorporated on 27 November 1996 and is classed under construction of commercial and domestic buildings.

The Norfolk Showground, where the event took place, sits just outside Norwich in 150 acres of parkland, according to the venue's own pages.