A Barratt Homes apprentice, based at Great Oldbury in Stonehouse, is helping the housebuilder celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (Feb 6-12).

Geoff Llewelyn, 16, is one of the business's 10 trade trainees. Geoff's apprenticeship combines on-site work as a trainee bricklayer with college work, which teaches him for his bricklayer NVQ Level 2 qualification.

Geoff from Gloucester heard about the apprenticeship opportunities that Barratt Homes offered through his dad, who works as a contracted scaffolder and chipper at the Barratt Homes Great Oldbury development in Stonehouse.

This year's National Apprenticeship Week theme is Skills for Life, which aims to show that apprenticeship programmes across the country are equipping those involved with the skills they need to progress within their careers.

Geoff Llewelyn said: "I'm only five months into my apprenticeship with Barratt Homes and I'm already loving it. I finished school last summer and I have really enjoyed the transition from the classroom to site.

"I am surrounded by a friendly support network and the recruitment team are always on hand to offer advice and help me with my career goals. I was shocked by just how hands-on and involved apprentices are from day one and it is a good opportunity to see how the industry works."

Geoff continued: "One of the most enjoyable aspects of the apprenticeship is getting your hands dirty and having a good laugh with the team on site. It is really good to be able to earn whilst I learn, develop new skills within the trade and make new friends. It is also nice to be working on the same site as my dad.

"Overall, the apprenticeship so far has been really rewarding and it is great to see my work getting better each day. The apprenticeship has opened many doors for me for the future and has really boosted my confidence, whilst allowing me to gain transferrable skills, like problem solving, teamwork and working within a controlled environment.

"My next goal is to work as best as I can for my upcoming exams in April and then hopefully progress to Level 3 bricklaying."

Andrea Pilgrim, sales director at Barratt Homes Bristol, said: "It is great to hear the positive experiences of our apprentices, who are valuable members of the site team. We are committed to continue supporting the future generations of tradespeople and the future leaders of the construction industry."