Highly commended apprentice follows in family footsteps

The 20-year-old from Milton Keynes was highly commended in the company’s Apprentice of the Year Awards. He was one of just four apprentices nationwide to be honoured in this year’s awards.

He joined the housebuilder’s Northern Homes Counties division, which is based in Milton Keynes, in February 2023. After spending some time in the commercial department, he quickly decided it wasn’t for him and moved into the Design and Technical team.

Ollie said: “Working in construction runs in the family – my dad is a Technical Director at a smaller construction company, and one of my brothers actually works for Bellway.

“While I was exploring my options prior to undertaking this apprenticeship, I spent a week at my dad’s company, which made me realise that this was the avenue I wanted to pursue.

“Initially, I thought commercial would be the role for me, but I soon realised I wanted something a bit more varied, and the more challenging, the better.”

The team at Bellway’s Northern Home Counties division have been particularly supportive.

“Our Technical Manager, Darren McKane has been brilliant”, Ollie commented. “He is very busy, but always makes time to check in and see how I’m doing. It helped me settle in quickly and I felt like a valued member of the team from the off.

“Darren and I have been visiting sites together, which has helped broaden my knowledge. I’ve definitely asked my fair share of questions in the time I’ve been here, but no-one has made me feel silly for asking them, which has really helped my confidence.”

Ollie is due to complete his Level 4 Design and Build Technician course in November and has already got his sights set on the longer term.

“In total, the course is 18 months long. I know I want to stay at Bellway in the long-term – it feels like one big family here and everyone has so much time for me.

“The workload is also manageable, and I haven’t been made to feel behind on knowledge. Don’t get me wrong, there are difficult days, but the good outweigh the bad and I’m always busy, which I love.”

Laura Bell, Bellway Group Senior Organisational Development Manager, said: “At Bellway, we are proud of the fact that five per cent of our workforce is made up of apprentices, trainees or graduates. We aspire to be an employer of choice, and want all avenues to be open to people at different stages of their career.

“I would like to extend my congratulations to Ollie on this award. He is a hard-working and valued member of the team, and I’m sure he will go on to enjoy a successful career.”

For more information on the different careers available at Bellway, visit https://www.bellwaycareers.co.uk/.