Tilia Homes Site Supervisor Apprentice has royal experience at special NHBC event

Liam Murray, assistant site manager at Verdant Rise, in Leicester recently had the pleasure of attending a very special NHBC event to celebrate the launch of its new Training Hub, in Cambridge.

Bricklaying, Site Supervisor and Surveying apprentices welcomed HRH The Princess Royal to officially open the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) new Apprenticeship Training Hub in Cambridge, which is delivering the next generation of skilled house builders in the East of England and closing the national skills gap and housing shortage.

According to the NHBC, the purpose-built Training Hub offers “a realistic work environment, seeing apprentices complete training in just 14 months and many with distinctions.”

Liam, who has worked at Tilia Homes since 2022 and is working towards a Level 4 Site Supervisor Course, comprising of 10 modules.

He said: “I really enjoyed attending the opening of the NHBC Training Hub and getting to meet – and speak with HRH The Princess Royal about my course. The day was also a good opportunity to meet with others who are doing the same course as me and share different experiences. There were lots of us from all different backgrounds and serves as a reminder that if you’re driven about the course and work you do, that Level 4 Site Supervision can be for anyone, not just those with a traditional academic background.”

The NHBC also says: “NHBC’s core purpose is to raise standards in house building and our experts carry out more than one million site inspections each year at key stages of building a new home. Our NHBC training hubs and apprenticeship programmes are a key component of NHBC’s ongoing commitment to supporting the next generation of housebuilders and equipping them with the skills to build high-quality new homes.

“NHBC’s apprenticeships are for everyone, and we’re delighted to see people from all backgrounds coming through, including school leavers, career changers and women wanting to work in house building. It’s never too late to learn a new skill!”

Liam’s advice to anyone looking to progress with an apprenticeship course is to ‘take the time to absorb all the information and to set yourself an aspirational goal.’

“For me, I’d love to manage my own site one day!” he adds. “Tilia Homes has been brilliant and very supportive. We have our own office area on site for when we’re studying to make sure we have no distractions!”