Shawmut recently held a graduation ceremony for twenty-two members of its Construction Management Skills Training (CMST) program inside the firm’s Boston Headquarters.

As an employee-owned company, Shawmut invests heavily in its people—making sure they are the very best in the industry. The CMST program is no exception and provides recent college graduates the opportunity to experience three main areas of construction—Project Management, Site Supervision, and Estimating—while enjoying the benefits of a full-time, salaried position.

This year’s graduation included a keynote presentation from CEO Les Hiscoe, where he discussed the future of building—including new techniques, innovative technologies, automated construction tools, and how Shawmut is adopting such strategies to provide an unrivaled world-class client experience. The executive leadership team also bestowed Gabrielle Lettire, a CMST Assistant Superintendent, with this year’s Coach of The Year Award—an honor voted on by her peers for over-the-top contributions to the program. With innovation a crucial component to his leadership, Les concluded the event by challenging both graduating and current CMSTs to submit their innovative ideas directly to him for consideration.

The rigorous three-year program allows trainees to gain first-hand knowledge through hands-on rotations in each area, while gaining a comprehensive understanding of how to run world-class projects. The third year also includes a challenging leadership development curriculum. At the conclusion of the program, trainees graduate and continue their careers at Shawmut with the role of their choosing.