FEATURE APPRENTICES
Energetic, creative and committed, we meet the apprentice winners of the 2023 Master Builder Awards in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland BRIGHT STARS
W ith national Northern Ireland in February, and in Scotland in March, it’s an opportune moment to celebrate the young talent who earned the title of Apprentice apprenticeship weeks in England, Wales and of the Year at Master Builder Awards ceremonies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland last year. And with so much warranted concern about the industry’s skills shortage, it’s comforting
to see the high calibre of apprentices being trained by fellow FMB members.
Take Seth Barton, carpentry apprentice at Neways Group Ltd, who grew up watching home improvement shows on television with his father. “My dad is a carpenter,” he says, “so I’ve always been around various trades in some way, shape or form, and have always had an interest in carpentry and woodwork.” Winning attitude Inspired by his dad, Barton pursued a carpentry apprenticeship. His attitude, work ethic and attention to detail led him first to win Apprentice of the Year in the Central Region and then the overall National Apprentice of the Year. “Winning the awards was a good achievement that I’m proud of,” Barton reveals. “Since then, I’ve completed my first solo project from start to finish and I’ve received great feedback from my mentors, and our clients are happy with the final result, which feels encouraging.”
Joinery apprentice at Rahoran Ltd, Matthew Graham, who won Apprentice of the Year in Northern Ireland, has also been into construction since childhood. “I’ve been on site from a young age, helping a family friend with building projects on the weekends. It gave me insight into building and construction and I particularly enjoyed the woodwork I did with him, so that is what led me along this path.” Then there’s Noah Archibald, winner of the Apprentice of the Year in Scotland. With his father the Director at Haldane Construction Services Ltd, Archibald has been helping out on site since he was young, sparking ideas and his imagination. “I have always had a real interest in how things were built,” he says. Working as a full-time General Construction Operative, Archibald’s knowledge, combined with
a determined attitude, has helped him to thrive. “I want to be the very best I can be.” Not all future builders are nurtured through their childhood years. For some, there is simply a moment that sparks their interest in the industry. This is what happened to Jordan Hopkinson, a bricklaying apprentice at James P Spencer Ltd, who won Apprentice of the Year in Yorkshire & Trent. “I was helping in my garden doing some demolition work and then rebuilding our garden the way we wanted it,” Hopkinson says. “Once I’d done that, I started looking at the types of jobs in construction, watching a few videos of roofing, plastering and bricklaying. I wanted to be a bricklayer and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.” His enjoyment of the work also means he tends to excel at it. One of his crowning achievements to date has
been following a drawing of a block wall and building it to the exact measurements. Jordan Gay is a carpentry apprentice at Bluestone Builders Ltd in Wales. He says his “proudest work achievement” has been his winning of the Master Builder Award for Apprentice of the Year in Wales. “The award made me feel like my work was definitely up to a standard and the 2 years I spent in college and on site have been worth it.” Gay enjoyed studying design technology at school, where he “learnt a lot of basic hand skills and how to design and build a product”, which led him to “further my progression by applying for a college course in carpentry, which is when I really found out what I enjoyed most”. Creating something meaningful matters to Gay: “It’s fascinating how someone can design something and make it happen in reality, and how much you can change a
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