Bellway has identified potential stars of the future in its Apprentice of the Year Awards 2025.

Three young apprentices were recognised in this year’s awards competition, with a winner and two highly commended prizes being given out.

Joe Beavens, from Chelmsford, was selected as the 2025 Apprentice of the Year winner. He joined the housebuilder’s Essex division as a technical apprentice in September 2022 after leaving school with A levels in geography, psychology and law.

“It is fantastic to be selected for this coveted award,” said Joe. “I didn’t even know I had been nominated so to win was a wonderful surprise in every way. To be singled out for this accolade at such a prestigious company as Bellway proves to me that I made the right decision to join the company straight from school.”

Joe recently attained a BTEC Level 3 qualification in construction and the built environment after two years of online studying with the Learning and Skills Partnership. He is due to be accepted as an associate member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is also in the process of completing his final assessment to qualify as an assistant technical co-ordinator at Bellway.

Having decided that he would rather be paid while working towards a qualification rather than racking up debt while at university, Joe began actively searching for apprenticeships.

“I identified construction as a dynamic industry with a variety of roles in different disciplines.  I have an analytical brain and enjoy interpreting information and trying to problem solve, so I applied for an apprenticeship position in the technical team at Bellway Essex. I have been with the company for nearly two and a half years and it’s the best decision I ever made.”

A highly commended prize went to Charlotte Benson, a trainee quantity surveyor who joined Bellway’s Kent division in September 2024.

The 19-year-old from Gravesend joined the company’s Balance Network after making a construction site’s facilities more welcoming for female workers by buying feminine hygiene products and faux plants and by putting up a sign with positive affirmations.

Charlotte said: “The Balance Network is a brilliant company-wide initiative which seeks to make practical changes to improve the workplace. We have an online meeting every month and it is fantastic to be able to hear and potentially apply people’s input.

“I came into the construction industry to find a rewarding career in a forward-thinking industry and I feel lucky to have found this at Bellway. I aim to absorb as much knowledge as I can and hope that I can make a difference in helping to change perceptions of construction as a male-dominated industry.”

Charlie Hewings, who joined Bellway South West in September 2023 as a technical engineering apprentice was also highly commended. The 24-year-old from Bristol was a qualified plumber but decided on a complete change of career direction.

He said: “An apprenticeship appealed to me because you can pick up a qualification while being paid. I still had to pay the bills, but I wanted a job I could progress in. It was quite a shock to the system at the start as it was very different to what I was used to, but gradually I have increased my responsibilities and knowledge.

“With my background in plumbing I had worked with similar technical drawings, but it was a new challenge for me, and I’ve learned so much in the time I’ve been here.”

Charlie was taken on with Bellway’s technical team to complete an apprenticeship working towards a Level 4 HNC in Construction Design and Build Technology and has been recently promoted to technical co-ordinator.

“The support I’ve had from Bellway has been fantastic as the team here are incredibly supportive. The senior co-ordinators and technical manager have been very helpful on my journey. They have helped me get to where I am now and I’m very grateful to them.

“I get a great deal of job satisfaction and it’s always nice to learn new skills, try new things and broaden my horizons.”

For more information about Bellway’s apprenticeship programme, visit: https://www.bellwaycareers.co.uk/our-programmes/apprenticeship-programme