Following on from National Apprenticeship Week last week, Punchline-Gloucester.com is continuing our campaign to champion apprenticeships from across the county.

Ben Crowther, 35, is the joinery works manager at Barnwood Ltd in Gloucester. Ben joined Barnwood when he was 15. He worked for six months before starting his three-year apprenticeship and moving into shopfitting. He worked around the country for Barnwood, including London and Manchester, and has worked as a foreman on sites, managing up to 200 staff.

Barnwood Ltd has three different divisions - Construction, Shopfitting & Interiors and General Works. It works for clients locally and nationally across a range of sectors, including industrial, retail and education.

The joinery works is part of Barnwood's Shopfitting division, working on fittings for buildings like shops and hotels, producing items like staircases and skirting to fit a shop out from start to finish.