• The company publicly commits to large annual intakes, including “more than 180” early-careers places in 2025 and “up to 170” positions for the 2026 intake across multiple disciplines.
• Costain runs apprenticeships from Level 2 up to Level 7 and describes programmes lasting 12–60 months, which is a real “start here and grow” pathway rather than a short internship funnel.
• The company also offers internships, university placements (3–12 months), work experience, and T-Level placements, which widens entry beyond traditional graduate routes.

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• The company describes a structured early-careers application journey publicly, including online tests and assessment stages, which helps first-time applicants understand what they’re signing up for.
• Costain states the hiring toolkit can include screening questions, up to three interviews, and psychometric assessments, with details signposted on each vacancy, which is clearer than “multi-stage process” vague wording.
• The company has public Disability Confident “Leader” recognition and says adjustments and support are available at every stage, but candidate feedback still includes “slow process” and “inconsistent communication” reports that keep this pillar out of the top bracket.

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• The company describes graduate support via a dedicated early careers team and an Early Careers Induction designed to connect new starters before technical modules begin.
• Costain promotes the GRaAPS network (Graduates and Apprentices) as a community and development support, which is a practical day-to-day support structure for juniors in a large contractor environment.
• The company commits to covering the full cost of professional chartership development through industry bodies (named in early-careers communications), which is a concrete investment signal for long-term progression.

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• The company describes graduate pay as a “competitive salary” with two performance-related pay reviews per year, but does not consistently publish salary ranges on early-career pages, which limits confidence on market alignment.
• Costain sets out a tangible benefits package (for example, 25 days’ annual leave plus an extra day for birthdays, and “dynamic working” flexibility language), which helps early-career candidates value total reward even when base pay is unclear.
• The company reports workforce-wide reward mechanisms like an all-employee share plan and references annual pay reviews, but the lack of upfront early-career salary ranges keeps stability and fairness scoring below the public-sector benchmark.

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• The company reports repeat early-career activity as part of business planning, including scaling intakes in response to forward work position and celebrating named apprentice award wins in annual reporting.
• Costain has solid overall employee sentiment signals (for example, a mid-to-high Glassdoor rating and a high “recommend to a friend” percentage), but that data is not cleanly separated for graduates and apprentices, so outcomes remain partly blurred.
• The company does not publish candidate-verifiable numbers on graduate completion rates, placement-to-offer conversion, or 12–24 month retention for early-career cohorts, which caps this pillar despite strong intake messaging.

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