07/05/2025
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Hannah Mansell Technical Manager for the BWF
A unique event
On the 26th of March, I attended the Crest Nicholson Apprentice Day with the objective of presenting to 50 apprentice carpenters, regional and executive managers of their housebuilding team.
The unique training day brought together all 60 of Crest Nicholson's current apprentices at its Sovereign Gate development in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. The apprentices were joined on site by the company Chief Executive Stephen Stone, who led the event which also coincided with the launch of the Crest Nicholson Site Management Academy – a training program designed to bring up to 12 new Trainee Site Managers into the business each year and create future Site Managers, Build Managers and Production Directors.
As Mr Stone explained: “The best way to address the current skills shortage is to ensure that we build-up the industry through a new generation of workers. It is essential that we commit to developing jobs and skills at every level, and as a company we firmly advocate helping young people gain the experience and on-the-job knowledge they need. This is the only way that we can guarantee that the industry is properly equipped to move forward, that supply can properly match demand, and that we can continue to innovate and drive best practice standards right across the board.”
The day had a very busy schedule for the 60 apprentices who were taking part in activities that included team building obstacle courses, site visits and demonstrations and presentations from construction product suppliers. The BWF was the only trade association who had been invited to attend, due to a relationship that has been built in the past by assisting with and providing technical guidance to the Crest Nicholson Quality, Procurement and Regional Construction departments.
How best practice can be achieved
In the 90 minutes main presentation of the afternoon I focused on the BWF and its members, covering apprenticeships in the Woodworking industry and success stories from our members. I then moved into a technical focus, designed to inspire the apprentices on two key subjects; fire doors and best practice on site for timber staircases. To make the presentation interesting we examined the detail relevant to an apprentice working on a building site with these products. We looked at quality of build, specification, H&S, installation, product performance and certification. I ensured that the presentation was very interactive for the apprentices and managers, asking them to directly tell of their own experiences relating to our products and referring them back to best practice guidance produced by the BWF itself and the BWF's Fire Door and Stair Schemes such as the website resources, publication factcards, design and installation guides.
From the perspective of the regional and executive management who attended, I focused in on the risk to business of specifying incorrectly, using unapproved suppliers and what the BWF and its members could do further to assist training, specification and correct installation of products, ensuring best practice and the highest levels of training and quality on site.
We also examined the specific risks to end users and business associated with construction projects, where specification for fire doors and staircases has gone wrong, using examples that the BWF has investigated in the past. There was lively discussion amongst the group and fantastic feedback regarding relevance and delivery from both the apprentices and Regional and Executive Management of Crest Nicholson after the presentation.
Passing the knowledge on
Reflecting on the day, I realised how much apprenticeship in the woodworking industry has changed since I was first employed in my first real job as an apprentice joiner and cabinetmaker on a salary nowhere near the current minimum wage.
It has changed for the better and it was inspiring to see this group and company who were supporting this generation of apprentices that is of key importance to our sector. They are as passionate as the BWF and our members about driving up standards in the industry.
I have also been on the other side of apprenticeship schemes, employing, guiding, encouraging and training my own and appreciate what an enormous commitment it is to bring an apprentice into your business. But when I weigh up the cost, changes, challenges and allowances I had to make against the pride that I feel knowing that they have all gone onto be successful in the industry it was well worth it, not to mention what they bought to the business while they were there.
They will hand this knowledge onto their own apprentices.
So to those members who have apprentices or are considering taking them on – persevere, inspire and encourage them, the rewards undoubtedly outweigh the cost (even when they have sanded through the veneer for the second time!).
Images courtesy of Crest Nicholson, Apprentice Day 2015, Cheshunt
