Sailing trip set to help apprentice Ellis make waves as a bricklayer

Ellis, 21, is part of our Barratt Redrow Apprenticeship Academy cohort at College and joined a group of fellow apprentices from the company on a trip around the south coast, which was organised by the Tall Ships Youth Trust as part of a leadership programme.

York College & University Centre Apprenticeship Team Leader Marie Smith was also part of the crew that navigated their way from Portsmouth to Yarmouth and Weymouth.

Ellis fulfilled on-deck tasks such as pulling the boat’s sails up, steering, sweating (often literally!), tacking, getting mooring rigs ready when pulling up to pontoons and conducting morning checks.

He also helped with prepping food below deck and the cleaning of bathrooms.

There were plenty of team-building exercises and games, too, along with accident and danger training and the regular checking of Met Office weather forecasts.

All very different to slapping cement on a trowel, then? 

Well, not completely.

Health and Safety considerations are just as important on a boat as they are on a building site – both a life jacket and a hard hat have the potential to save your life.

Likewise, you can’t sail a large boat on your own any more than you can build a row of houses without the help of others.

On how the sailing trip complemented his day job, Ellis pointed out: “Working together as a team was a big part of it. We had to maintain and clean the boat, make sure the sails were up and the wheel was being steered, as well as looking after each other.

“There’s always the threat of somebody going overboard, so it’s no different to being on a work site really. You have to think about other people and health and safety.

“It was also hard work on the boat with all the tasks. Pulling the sails up was really hard.

“You had to really squat down and pull to heave and ho them all the way up. My Contracts Manager put me forward and asked if I was up for the trip. 

“I liked the sound of it and it was good. It’s something I’ve done now and I can look back at the whole experience.” 

Ellis is based in the North-West and started his bricklaying journey at Bury College, where he completed his Level 1 and Level 2 diplomas.

He went on to gain employment as a labourer for sub-contractors at various sites around Manchester before spotting the opportunity to become an apprentice with Barratt Redrow and York College. 

“I was looking around for a proper apprenticeship where I would be taught how to lay bricks the right way,” Ellis explained. “I applied straight away when I saw that Barratt Redrow were recruiting and was successful in my interview.

“I’d recommend the apprenticeship to anybody. It’s life-changing in a way, because it gives you that extra boost and head start.

“Barratt Redrow are a well-established company and you are well taken care of, so it’s an opportunity that you should guard with your life. You won’t get it again and it can really kickstart your career.”

With a construction skills shortage in the UK, Ellis also believes he has chosen a stable vocational pathway.

“Bricklaying is a safe job and a realistic career,” he declared. “I wasn’t interested in being an influencer, an entrepreneur or anything like that. 

“This is a real trade, where you can give something back to the community by helping build houses and can take pride in your work.”

Ellis added that he feels the apprenticeship model of blending on-site work experience with workshop tuition at College represents the best way to acquire a full understanding of the profession and nurture industry skills.

The Level 2 Barratt Redrow cohort he belongs to arrive at College from all areas of the country for two-week block periods at different times of the year, with the company covering their hotel, travel and food expenses and Ellis said: “The time in College does help, because you get different insights into laying bricks from the tutors.

“The teaching is also very relaxed and the tutors help you out individually. They don’t just tell you to do something and leave you to it.

“They come around and check on you to see that you’re doing things right. A lot have worked in the industry before and some still are doing part-time. 

“It’s good to get a break from being on site, too, and gives you an opportunity to focus on what you need to as an individual. Before the last block period, I asked people at work if there were any areas where I could improve and I was told to focus on the little details of bricklaying. 

“You can get a bit lost in the art of just laying bricks and get tunnel vision, but there’s more to it like wall ties, insulation and weep holes. You need that attention to detail and College gives me the time to focus on that, because there’s no rush here.

“You can also use your own intuition a bit more here, rather than being part of a team on a job. Some apprenticeships are day release, but I prefer the blocks because you can get more work done.

“We get all the tools we need at College and coming here has made me a better bricklayer and given me more confidence socially.”

Ellis went on to stress the benefits of spending long periods of time with fellow Barratt Redrow apprentices from across the UK during the their block sessions on Campus.

“We can learn from each other by sharing our own individual experiences, which is good, because every site is different,” he explained. “We have a couple of lads from down south and they have some different ways of doing things.”

Ellis is planning on furthering his bricklaying education once he concludes his Level 2 apprenticeship in March and, looking ahead, hopes to one day use his trade to gain employment overseas.

“I hope to get to Level 3 standard in terms of my apprenticeship and keep progressing with my gang, because you don’t just finish your apprenticeship and start laying bricks yourself,” he reasoned. “You’re still learning.

“They say it takes you about 10 years to become an actual bricklayer. Then, when I’m confident enough to branch out myself, I’ll maybe go abroad, somewhere like Australia or another hot country because, with this skill, you can go anywhere in the world.

“That’s my plan really and maybe, one day, I’ll also have my own gang.”

To learn more about our Level 2 Bricklayer Apprenticeship, click here

For a list of all our latest Apprenticeship vacancies, visit here

If you would like to meet our expert team of tutors and discuss any of our courses and apprenticeships with them, then please consider our next Open Event on Tuesday 7th October (5.30pm-8pm). Register a place here