Nick Cox, Bloor Homes: NHBC's Apprenticeship Scheme

After an opportunity to try a few different trades Nick knew bricklaying was the skill he wanted to perfect. Since then, he’s been working hard building his career brick by brick through an apprenticeship with Bloor Homes and training at the NHBC bricklaying hub in Tamworth.

Background

Since leaving school Nick studied bricklaying at college but struggled to find further options. Having tried his hand at tiling and flooring in the meantime, he realised bricklaying was what he really wanted to do. He persevered and found an opportunity to keep building on his existing skills with Bloor Homes.

Appreciating apprenticeships

As someone who joined the apprenticeship with prior bricklaying knowledge Nick was in a unique position to share his experience and explain why the apprenticeship was the right choice for him.

“I’ve enjoyed the course and I really liked the mix of one-to-one support and the chance to learn on your own. I appreciated being able to give things a try while knowing that help was available if I needed it. I’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who wants to learn about bricklaying and get a good grounding in the skills, knowledge and attention to detail you need to do a really great job.” 

NHBC have worked to support the house-building industry and provide a solution to the growing skills gap through its bricklaying hubs.

By employing knowledgeable tutors with first-hand site experience to deliver the apprenticeship students benefit from years of advice and guidance in an accurately recreated site environment. The hub also reflects the health and safety standards you would experience on site, realistic site hours and offers an outdoor working area that is used throughout the year.

Laying the foundations for a future in construction

Not only has Nick completed his apprenticeship he also achieved second place in a competition with the Midlands Guild of Bricklayers in 2022. Nick is keen to keep expanding his skill set and is looking forward to a long and rewarding career in construction.

Hannah Burgess, Head of Human Resources at Bloor Homes said ‘Everyone at Bloor is so pleased for Nick and proud of what he’s achieved so far. He’s worked hard to complete this apprenticeship and we look forward to seeing more of his brickwork across our sites in future.’

NHBC is proud to support apprenticeships that benefit both the individuals and the needs of house builders at a crucial time for the industry to begin to address the skills gap.