A GRADUATE from Harpenden who completed a placement year with construction company Morgan Ashurst is returning to the firm s Welwyn Garden City office to work as as a full-time assistant quantity surveyor – but this time he s helping to set a record. Tom

A GRADUATE from Harpenden who completed a placement year with construction company Morgan Ashurst is returning to the firm's Welwyn Garden City office to work as as a full-time assistant quantity surveyor - but this time he's helping to set a record.

Tom Brennan, 22, is one of 24 graduates hired this year by Morgan Ashurst, despite the economic downturn. It is the highest number ever recruited by the firm and double last year's total.

Tom has now been appointed onto Morgan Ashurst's graduate development programme. As part of his training, he will study for professional qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

"I am really happy to have been sponsored by Morgan Ashurst straight after I graduated," says Tom. "Having a placement year under my belt was a real advantage in getting my career started because I already knew how both the company and the industry work."

Adrian Barnes, Morgan Ashurst area director for London and the Northern Home Counties, added: "Tom has all the attributes of a successful construction professional. He is determined, enthusiastic and has a can-do attitude.

"It would have been quite easy for Morgan Ashurst to follow in the footsteps of other firms and cut our graduate training programme, but we believe this would have been a false economy.

"Our graduate trainees represent the future of our business, so making sure that they have everything they need to gain the best possible start to their construction careers is vital."

Tom gained his BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management at Nottingham Trent University - one of several universities across the UK with which Morgan Ashurst has an established relationship.