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03/06/2026
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19/12/2023
Newcastle training hub upskills first cohort of 30 young apprentices
Top 10 UK housebuilder, Keepmoat, is celebrating its first successful year welcoming apprentices through the doors of the National House Building Council (NHBC) bricklaying training hub based in Newcastle.
Launched in December 2022, the training hub, in partnership with NHBC at The Rise in Scotswood, is the latest investment by the housebuilder to help bridge the construction skills gap currently being felt across the country. Industry figures suggest an extra 224,900 people need to be recruited in construction jobs by 2027.
The Rise development is a project from New Tyne West Development Company (NTWDC), a partnership between Keepmoat and Newcastle City Council that aims to deliver 1,800 new homes in the area. The NHBC Training Hub at the same site has the capacity to train more than 100 apprentices each year.
Today, the partners involved in the hub celebrated alongside Kaycie Hall, Keepmoat’s first female apprentice bricklayer in the region, to recognise the last 12 months of success and the positive impact it's had on the community. In addition to 30 apprentices, the NHBC Training Hub has engaged with six local schools and hosted two on site visits.
Geoff Scott, Social Value Manager at Keepmoat North East, said: “As we celebrate the first full year of operations at the state-of-the-art training hub, I am absolutely delighted with the tremendous impact it has already made on apprentices like Kaycie in providing critical skills, training and job opportunities for local young people, students, and job seekers.
“The NHBC Training Hub is a testament to Keepmoat’s commitment to delivering key skilled workers into the talent pipeline in the face of a skills shortage. Next year our planned growth will see us feed 50 new, highly skilled professionals into the bricklaying and construction sector. We’re extremely excited about delivering fantastic benefits to the local community.”
Level 2 Bricklaying apprentice Evan Browne added: “Working at the training hub has helped me across both bricklaying and personal skills. When I first joined, I was fresh out of college and Mike and Colin, my tutors, have been beyond helpful.
“I've developed personally over the last year across my communication skills, professionalism and I can't wait to finish my apprenticeship and continue to build on my skills and start my career in bricklaying.”
Darryl Stewart, responsible for NHBC’s apprentice training programme and hubs, commented: “It's great to be celebrating this anniversary milestone of the NHBC Training Hub in Newcastle, which is creating a local supply of talent for the housebuilding industry and having a positive impact on the lives of apprentices.
“Bricklaying is at the heart of house building and is a hugely important skill. The training hub is a key component of NHBC’s ongoing commitment to supporting the next generation of house builders, equipping them with the skills to build high-quality new homes. Our network of training hubs offer a realistic work environment, expert trainers and an apprenticeship can be completed in as little as 18 months.”
For more information about how to engage with the education initiatives at Keepmoat, visit: www.keepmoat.com/careers
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