Celebrating our Mainer Academy Success Stories
Here at Mainer Associates, we believe that investing in young talent is a key facet in the solution towards a sustainable future. This is exactly why we established our Graduate Scheme – the Mainer Academy – in 2022.
The Mainer Academy’s aim is to provide Graduates with the necessary experience for them to thrive in the sustainability sector, whilst working in a consultancy environment for Mainer Associates on live sustainability and built environment projects across the UK.
The first year of the Mainer Academy has proved fruitful, with the five Graduates involved in the scheme successfully developing a suite of technical and soft skills. This, consequently, has successfully led to the offering of several permanent roles within the business itself, highlighting the scheme’s aim to provide a clear pathway towards full-time employment.
In this article, we catch up with each of the Graduates to hear about their journey through the Mainer Academy, the skills that they have developed, and what they have enjoyed most...
Over the past 10 months, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn a wide array of skills within sustainability – mainly relating to BREEAM and LCA. The Mainer Academy has so far been exciting and engaging with the invaluable experience of working on live projects and the opportunity to delve deeper into important topics such as net zero.
There have been challenging moments, but this has helped me to develop both my professional and personal skills, which I feel is a great benefit for myself as well as the team. I have particularly enjoyed developing my BREEAM knowledge, as well as undertaking EPD and LCA bootcamps and earning accreditations within these areas.
I have appreciated being involved with the senior members of the business from the get-go and contributing quickly to team and billing meetings, as well as liaising with high-profile clients such as MEPC and B&K. Whilst there is plentiful support at Mainer Associates, I appreciate that I am given the freedom to manage my deadlines and that I am trusted to deliver on the projects which I have been assigned. I have really enjoyed applying the knowledge I have learned in my BREEAM training to problem solve and find solutions for clients.
Finally, I am happy to say that through the Mainer Academy I have become a qualified BREEAM In-Use Assessor, which will allow me to undertake In-Use Assessments independently. I am similarly delighted to be working towards BREEAM AP accreditation, which I will achieve by the Summer, and I look forward to utilising these skills at Mainer Associates in the future!
Since joining the Mainer Associates team in the Summer of 2022, the Mainer Academy has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge and experience of sustainability in the construction industry. It has been an amazing opportunity to be a part of this team, where I have gained the experience needed to further my career within Mainer Associates.
I have particularly enjoyed learning about the BREEAM Certification Scheme. I am now a certified BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP), which has given me a greater understanding of the construction process. With this, I have been able to assist with the implementation of sustainability measures for high-profile buildings across the UK, including large urban cities such as Manchester and London.
I am also grateful to have been given the opportunity to become one of the youngest Fitwel Ambassadors in the UK. As a Fitwel Ambassador, I have been able to successfully contribute to the health and wellbeing of the occupants in our clients’ buildings.
Additionally, the One Click LCA Summer School and EPD Bootcamp have both taught me important information regarding the materials that go into the construction of buildings, in addition to their life cycle. As part of the Mainer Academy, I have also recently been learning how the materials of a building are tracked and assessed.
Since joining the Mainer Academy, I have really developed my knowledge of sustainability in the built environment. I am now BREEAM AP certified and have had an array of experiences, such as: LCA bootcamps, experience liaising with external stakeholders on well-established projects, and the opportunity to visit the London Build Expo – where I was an Ambassador for Women in Construction.
Mainer Associates has also supported my pursuit to promote women in the construction industry. For example, I have had the opportunity to attend Women in Property events on an array of topics – which has also allowed me to network within the industry. By engaging with the Mainer Academy, I have found that Mainer Associates really do nurture your development and give you the opportunity to have a real impact – with senior management always open to any suggestions that you may have.
In addition, through the scheme I have had the opportunity to enhance my ability to work collaboratively, regularly working as a team on multimillion-pound projects in a productive and time efficient manner.
Finally, I have appreciated the opportunity to work on various aspects of sustainability which not only relate to external client projects, but also focus on the internal sustainability of Mainer Associates as a company, too. For example, a particular highlight of the Mainer Academy has been investigating Mainer Associates’ scope emissions and deciding upon the best nature-based solution for offsetting. I found this especially exciting as my university dissertation focused on nature-based solutions; seeing this work in a practical context was therefore very fulfilling!
As a recent graduate, my journey with the Mainer Academy has so far been fantastic. In the short period of five months that I have been here, the experience and knowledge that I have already gained has been invaluable.
For example, immediately being introduced to BREEAM upon joining the programme has enabled me to develop a thorough understanding of this method, which is used to assess the sustainability of buildings. Taking part in client meetings – and having the opportunity to attend site visits for high-profile developments such as Silverstone – have also been particularly great experiences. Through this, I have been able to physically see the progression of our work, including the final result, which I found especially motivating.
I have recently also passed the BREEAM UK New Construction New Assessor course, which means that I am now a fully qualified BREEAM Assessor! This training course has enabled me to understand BREEAM UK New Construction in terms of the technical content and its application, which has equipped me with the skills necessary to carry out BREEAM Assessments on new buildings in the UK.
Alongside BREEAM, the Mainer Academy has also exposed me to other sustainability assessments such as LCA and embodied carbon assessments. This has widened my knowledge of sustainability in the built environment, highlighting the significant opportunity that the Mainer Academy provides in developing the skills required to tackle real environmental issues in the rapidly growing industry.
I am looking forward to continuing to engage with the Mainer Academy to evolve additional skills, and thus become increasingly capable in delivering sustainability assessments alongside my colleagues at Mainer Associates.
I joined the Mainer Academy in October 2022, and the five months since have been filled with a plethora of exciting challenges and opportunities.
Firstly, I began by completing the One Click LCA Summer School and EPD Bootcamp, which exposed me to the process of conducting and calculating life cycle assessments from both cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave perspectives, in addition to growing an understanding of environmental product declarations. More recently, I have undergone BREEAM training; I am proud to say that I am now successfully qualified as a BREEAM Associate. These training courses have challenged my skills gained at university in a corporate setting, where I have evolved an understanding of sustainability from an investor and developer viewpoint.
The thing that I have personally enjoyed the most about the Mainer Academy is the freedom that I have had to tailor my skills to the topics that I enjoy most. For example, on top of the technical skills I have gained through training, I have also been heavily involved in the commercial side of the business. This has enabled my soft skills to likewise expand, through experience such as marketing, strategy, and branding. Similarly, I have been involved in conducting research and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative sustainability data, working closely with senior management on a day-to-day basis whilst utilising environmental guidelines and frameworks to achieve accurate results.
I am grateful for the opportunity that Mainer Associates has provided through the Mainer Academy; I am looking forward to learning even more during the programme as the company continues to evolve!
Following the success of the Mainer Academy in 2022, Mainer Associates are delighted to announce the continuation of the programme for 2023, with the aim of providing career opportunities for young, promising graduates looking to make a difference in the sustainability sector.
Since September 2022, both Ben Wells (Managing Director) and Dan Coupland (Graduate Sustainability Consultant) have therefore been engaging with the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), working in conjunction with final year Geography and Environmental Science students to undertake research projects. The aim of these research projects is to enable students to work with a real-life sustainability consultancy, thus providing important exposure to the sector whilst enabling students to gain valuable experience. Those students enrolled at MMU who complete the project then have the opportunity to apply to the Mainer Academy.
Dan Coupland was formerly a student himself at MMU, where he undertook a project with Ben as part of the same process. Upon completion of the project, Dan joined the Mainer Academy, which has now led to the offer of a permanent role within Mainer Associates.
We are now eagerly looking forward to welcoming the next set of talented graduates onto the Mainer Academy programme. If you think this could be you, please do get in touch!