House Building Hub Visit Rounds off National Apprenticeship Week
February 2025
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, local MP Ian Sollom visited the National House Building Council (NHBC) Training Hub in Impington to meet with apprentices and trainers.
During the visit Ian donned a hard hat and boots to see apprentices in action who were learning bricklaying and groundworks skills. There were apprentices from GSQ Brickwork, a house building contractor, on site. They spend an initial five weeks undergoing intensive hands-on training at the hub learning basic skills, so they are site ready, and then regularly return for further training blocks.
The hub, adjacent to Histon Football Club, was officially opened last year by HRH The Princess Royal. It trains more than 100 apprentices annually of all ages, with 30 per cent aged over 19 and often career changers. It has purpose-built facilities close to live working sites, which means apprentices can train in a realistic working environment and get them ready for life on site. The Cambridge NHBC Training Hub, in partnership with housebuilder The Hill Group, is part of a national growing network of training facilities by the insurance and warranty provider with others based in Tamworth, Newcastle and Hull. A further hub, based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, received planning permission earlier this week.
Ian was keen to make the visit as the local MP but also in his role as Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Universities and Skills. He said: “It was great to be on site and see the apprentices at the NHBC hub in action. This initiative is offering something different. Talking to the apprentices today they explained that they were pleased to get such high-quality hands-on learning that will give them hugely valuable and marketable skills. One of the apprentices, Ed, (pictured) told me that he had retrained following a degree and a career in biological sciences as he wanted to work outdoors and retrain in a job that will combine that with a decent income. He would thoroughly recommend this route into the construction industry.
“I am really pleased to hear the NHBC is planning to expand by building bigger hubs across the country, including here in my constituency. With the Government focussed on growth, it is essential that we train a skilled worked force to provide the high-quality homes that people deserve.
“Apprenticeships are such an important option for people not wanting to go down the higher education route of university or when people wish to change careers. They provide thousands of skilled workers each year in a vast range of industries and it’s vital that we ensure employers are supported in offering them.”
Darryl Stewart, Head of Commercial Services at NHBC commented, “It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Sollom to the NHBC Training Hub at Cambridge, and we thank him for taking the time to learn about its important work. We’re tackling the skills shortage in the industry head-on and believe investment in high quality training is the way forward.
“The purpose-built NHBC Training Hub offers a realistic work environment and we’re seeing apprentices completing their training in just 14 months, many with distinctions. An apprenticeship in the housebuilding industry is a pathway into a range of rewarding and well-paid careers that can make a real difference to the available future workforce.”
GSQ Brickwork Managing Director, Garry Staines, said: “GSQ Brickwork has provided employment to 10 Apprentices trained at the NHBC Hub in Cambridge over the last year. The facilities and training provided by the NHBC significantly accelerates the learning process, gives real insights into working within housebuilding and means that when the Apprentices arrive on site, we can be sure they’re safe and ready to be working within our teams.
“We look forward to training more people at the Hubs over the coming months to meet the growing demand for skilled people to build new homes.”
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