Britain’s fastest bricklayer praises Milton Keynes apprentices at graduation ceremony

The UK’s fastest bricklayer has praised the talents of more than 100 apprentices at the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) graduation ceremony in Milton Keynes.

Held at the UK’s leading warranty and insurance providers NHBC headquarters in Knowlhill, YouTube sensation and Super Trowels Bricklaying Competition winner, Charlie Collison, said apprentices are key to the housing industry’s future and urged more people to consider a career in the sector.He said: “What NHBC and its national network of bricklaying hubs is achieving is vital if we’re going to close the skills gap and housing shortage we are facing.

“Each NHBC Training Hub across the country is enabling 100 apprentices to be trained by experienced tutors each year, enabling house builders to create a flow of new talent onto sites. It’s a great start to begin to address the skills gap in house building, the impact of which cannot be underestimated. The research is showing the need for an additional 225,000 construction workers in the UK by 2027 – that’s a staggering 45,000 per year.

“When this is considered alongside recent reports that builders are struggling to recruit bricklayers, it becomes clear just how important it is for the house-building industry to attract more people from all backgrounds to bricklaying. It also highlights how significant it is to have so many accomplished bricklayers here with us today."

Since becoming a registered apprenticeship provider in 2020, around 450 people have progressed through NHBC’s Bricklaying Training Hubs. Also recognised at the ceremony were students studying with NHBC for apprenticeships in Construction Site Supervision and various other housebuilding roles.

Darryl Stewart, responsible for NHBC’s apprentice training programme and training hubs, said: it’s encouraging to see people entering a career in housebuilding but there’s still more to do.

“In recent years, house builders have found it more challenging to recruit people for a range of reasons. It’s an industry which is facing an ageing workforce and has been seen as a career path mainly for men. This means we must continue to find ways to encourage people from all walks of life to join the sector as it offers a fantastic range of careers and an apprenticeship in the house-building industry is a pathway into a rewarding and well-paid career that can make a real difference.

“At NHBC, our apprenticeships and training programmes and our growing network of national NHBC Training Hubs, are getting more people started in the industry and helping to close the skills gap by training the next generation of house builders. Our house-building apprenticeships are an excellent alternative to the more traditional educational routes with our courses designed with input from across the industry and leading experts. It’s fantastic to see this latest cohort today of over 100 apprentices being equipped with skills for life which they can take forward and use to build high-quality new homes.

NHBC’s apprenticeships are for everyone and we’re delighted to see people from all backgrounds coming through, including women, career changers, diverse cultures and school leavers wanting to work in house building. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.”

For information about NHBC’s apprenticeships is available online.