A 29-year-old Trainee Assistant Site Manager from Livingston says joining residential housebuilder Bellway Homes was the best career move she ever made after being named runner-up in the national housebuilder’s Apprentice of the Year Awards.
Charlie Devlin, who works for Bellway’s Scotland East division, was one of just four apprentices from across the country to be honoured in this year’s awards.
She previously worked in the outdoor industry as an instructor, but decided to make the switch to construction, embarking on an apprenticeship with Bellway in 2022.
Charlie said: “Everyone on site has been incredibly supportive and I am so grateful for all the time people have invested in helping me throughout this journey.
“I’ve learnt so many transferrable skills and there are so many opportunities to explore here at Bellway. It’s the best career move I’ve ever made.
“As with everything, there have been ups and downs – particularly as this is a completely new industry to the one I was working in before. But, I’m very driven and determined to learn as much as I can, and Bellway have done everything to support this.”
Charlie has been working at the divisional head office for the last seven months. She recently moved to the Carrington View development, Midlothian. As part of her apprenticeship, she also spends one day a week studying at West Lothian College, doing an HNC in Construction Management and is completing a SVQ Level 3 in Construction Management.
“I’m still scoping out the industry as a whole” she added. “But, I love the time I spend on site – both the Site Manager and Assistant Site Manager have embraced my enthusiasm and helped me flourish.
“No two days are the same here on site, which is great – my days are very varied and never boring.