Young apprentice takes home national NHBC bricklaying award
Bailey Johnson, an 18-year-old bricklaying apprentice training with Bloor Homes’ Eastern region, has been named NHBC Bricklaying Apprentice of the Year (Level 2), a prestigious award that recognises outstanding talent in the UK's housebuilding industry.
Bailey, from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, received the award at the National House Building Council's (NHBC) annual graduation ceremony, held at NHBC's headquarters in Milton Keynes on 20th March 2026.
The Bloor Homes Eastern apprentice is currently training at NHBC's Training Hub in Cambridge, where he developed the bricklaying skills and technical knowledge that earned him the top national accolade ahead of fellow NHBC apprentices from housebuilders across the UK.
Bailey is currently working on Bloor Homes' Thurston Grove development, where he has been putting his training into practice building high-quality new homes.
Ray Armos, Bricklaying Apprentice Master for Bloor Homes, said: “Bailey is a talented individual who consistently produces outstanding work. We are enormously proud of him and the whole team are delighted to see his hard work recognised at a national level. This is an outstanding achievement that not only reflects his own dedication and skill, but also the quality of training provided at NHBC's Cambridge Training Hub and the support of the team here at Bloor Homes.”
The UK’s housebuilding sector currently faces a shortfall of 239,000 workers, a challenge that makes the development of skilled young tradespeople more important than ever.
Bloor Homes works hard to encourage talent like Bailey’s into the industry to help address the shortfall whilst futureproofing its own workforce in all nine of its regions across England. Young construction professionals training with the developer in bricklaying or carpentry gain valuable, hands-on experience from day one, with new apprentices working on a live development alongside other apprentices who support each other and learn together.
Bloor Homes also provides new apprentices with tools so they are not having to self-fund them and even pays for travel to and from site.
Steve Boreham, Construction Director for Bloor Homes Eastern, said: "At a time when our industry faces a skills challenge, Bailey is exactly the kind of young person who gives us tremendous confidence in the future of housebuilding. We are proud to have him as part of our team and look forward to supporting him as he progresses to Level 3.”
Bailey said: “This award has given me great confidence. I am now looking forward to qualifying at Level 3. For anyone who is looking for a hands-on job alongside highly supported training, I really recommend the Bricklaying Apprenticeship with Bloor Homes. Not only have I learned a great deal about the job training with NHBC and working on site with Bloor Homes, I can see the opportunities working in housebuilding - so many people in senior positions on site started as apprentices.”
For more information about apprenticeships with Bloor Homes, visit careers.bloorhomes.com
The Bloor Homes Eastern apprentice is currently training at NHBC's Training Hub in Cambridge, where he developed the bricklaying skills and technical knowledge that earned him the top national accolade ahead of fellow NHBC apprentices from housebuilders across the UK.
Bailey is currently working on Bloor Homes' Thurston Grove development, where he has been putting his training into practice building high-quality new homes.
Ray Armos, Bricklaying Apprentice Master for Bloor Homes, said: “Bailey is a talented individual who consistently produces outstanding work. We are enormously proud of him and the whole team are delighted to see his hard work recognised at a national level. This is an outstanding achievement that not only reflects his own dedication and skill, but also the quality of training provided at NHBC's Cambridge Training Hub and the support of the team here at Bloor Homes.”
The UK’s housebuilding sector currently faces a shortfall of 239,000 workers, a challenge that makes the development of skilled young tradespeople more important than ever.
Bloor Homes works hard to encourage talent like Bailey’s into the industry to help address the shortfall whilst futureproofing its own workforce in all nine of its regions across England. Young construction professionals training with the developer in bricklaying or carpentry gain valuable, hands-on experience from day one, with new apprentices working on a live development alongside other apprentices who support each other and learn together.
Bloor Homes also provides new apprentices with tools so they are not having to self-fund them and even pays for travel to and from site.
Steve Boreham, Construction Director for Bloor Homes Eastern, said: "At a time when our industry faces a skills challenge, Bailey is exactly the kind of young person who gives us tremendous confidence in the future of housebuilding. We are proud to have him as part of our team and look forward to supporting him as he progresses to Level 3.”
Bailey said: “This award has given me great confidence. I am now looking forward to qualifying at Level 3. For anyone who is looking for a hands-on job alongside highly supported training, I really recommend the Bricklaying Apprenticeship with Bloor Homes. Not only have I learned a great deal about the job training with NHBC and working on site with Bloor Homes, I can see the opportunities working in housebuilding - so many people in senior positions on site started as apprentices.”
For more information about apprenticeships with Bloor Homes, visit careers.bloorhomes.com