FAQs

What disciplines do you consider?

We choose graduates primarily for their characteristics such as enthusiasm, accomplishments, leadership skills, initiative and the desire to be the best. So we consider all disciplines for our entry-level training programme. Across the company, you'll find successful people who have studied a wide and diverse range of subjects.

What type of characteristics does Wolseley seek in a graduate?

We need people who can think strategically, bring an entrepreneurial attitude to their area of the business, and have skills to execute with excellence.

The people we are looking for will have held leadership positions or been active in campus organisations and/or extracurricular activities. They will likely also have had work experience in the form of internships or part-time jobs, and generally have a strong record of accomplishments. Intangible qualities are extremely important, such as good attitude, enthusiasm, assertiveness, initiative, and a desire to take ownership of their own work.

In order for you to fit well with our culture, you'll probably possess qualities such as diverse communication skills, good interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic and will be a very well-rounded person.

Does Wolseley support study for external qualifications?

Yes we do. We'll support you and encourage you to work towards qualifications that will help you in your work and also in reaching your personal objectives.

What about training beyond the graduate programmes?

If you join Wolseley, you'll often hear or read that people are our competitive advantage. In fact "developing our human resources" is one of our key strategies and the one that underpins all of the others.

Beyond the graduate programmes, we offer a range of management education and development programmes in the US and in Switzerland. The aim of these programmes is, as always, to provide Wolseley with the expertise and experience that will enable us to grow. And to provide our graduates with a worthwhile, enjoyable and challenging career.

What does Wolseley offer a graduate?

A career at Wolseley will give you the chance to gain in-depth knowledge of how an international organisation operates.

And where do you do it?

We operate in the following countries: Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, UK and the USA. .This list is likely to expand as we make acquisitions and move into new areas.

What products do you distribute?

From major companies building new apartments in the suburbs of Paris to a self-employed plumber fixing a leaking tap in London and NASA engineers working on the Space Shuttle Programme, people rely on us to provide the right products at prices that help them achieve their objectives.

Those products include stunning showers and bathroom accessories; high-end lighting fixtures; blocks and boilers; tubes, flues and felts; pumps and septic tanks; plywood, softwood and hardwood. We carry every type of fixing and ironmongery you can imagine - and plenty more that you can't!

What does Wolseley do?

We are distributors, not manufacturers. We supply a diverse range of plumbing, heating and building supplies to meet a wide spectrum of needs.
Our customers are drawn from across the industry: large construction businesses, governments and self-employed contractors all depend on Wolseley expertise.

Why have I never heard of Wolseley?

Our business is built on trade brands, all of which are well-known and trusted in their home marketplaces. So although you may not know Wolseley, you will probably be familiar with at least one of our brand names.

What systems does Wolseley have in place to support employee training and development?

One of our five key focus areas is to “develop our people”. All our managers know that this is a key performance issue for us, and one we take very seriously. In 2006/2007 for example, we invested more than £12m on leadership training and development, recruited over 1030 college graduates, and invested in over 126,000 training days for our employees.