Getting started in a trade means something different to everyone. Some join the family trade, while others don’t realise they’d be perfect for a role in construction until they try it.
Ahead of GCSE and A Level Results Days, we're sharing the stories of SkillBuild competitors and judges to show that there are many routes into the industry, with no single path to a successful construction career.
“College just wasn’t for me”
Before taking up carpentry as an apprentice with Brick & Beam, Kyle Challifour tried studying at college but found it wasn’t the right fit.
He said: “I started doing sports at Loughborough College, and it just wasn't for me. There was something missing.”
His family recommended he try a trade instead, so Kyle picked carpentry for the breadth of work available. It took him “a few months” to find a suitable apprenticeship, but when he did, it clicked.
He recalled: “My employer really put a test on me to see if I was worth it. He could see the potential in me.”
Kyle’s since gone from strength to strength. He’s competed in carpentry at SkillBuild two years in a row, winning his regional qualifier in 2025, and now runs his own business.
He said: “It is just going really well for me. I couldn't thank my boss enough.”
“I got thrown into it”
Abode Time Ltd apprentice Oliver Franklin had no idea what he wanted to do after school, until a week’s work experience changed everything.
He said: “I'd say I got thrown into it, as in I didn't know what I wanted to do and carpentry came up. I got into my apprenticeship through work experience. I basically did a week with my mum's cousin, and I was like, "I love this."”
“He took me on for an apprenticeship as a sole trader, which I'm very happy about. Did that for two years and then went on to work for a property investor, which I'm doing now for my level three and doing up quite high-end HMOs in Swindon.”
For Oliver, his passion for carpentry means that his work doesn’t feel like work at all.
He explained: “I don’t really think I work. I go to work, obviously, but for me, I don't on a Sunday, go, "Urgh, I've got to go to work." I enjoy it.”
“I thought I needed to make a change”
Tameside College apprentice Miriam Mahmood knew she had a knack for painting and decorating but spent years in what she described as “dead-end jobs” before deciding to pursue her passion.
She said: “I just thought, what am I waiting for? Just go where your heart wants to go. I thought I needed to make a change.”
She visited the Jobcentre to help her get into construction, and within three months was on a Level 2 Painting and Decorating course.
From there, things fell into place. Miriam recalled: “The tutor asked me if I wanted to do an apprenticeship after that. And guess where it was? Only the Town Hall. So of course, I said yeah!”
At 29 years old, Miriam has found a career she enjoys. She said: “I spent about eight years just trying to figure things out. And if that’s what you’re doing, that’s fine, but an apprenticeship just gives you that direction that you need. I feel like I’m just not lost.”
“It was local, so I thought I’d give it a shot”
Furniture apprentice Conor Spooner learned he enjoyed hands-on work while bonding with his grandfather.
He said: “A couple of years ago over summer, I started doing some stuff with my granddad. He was quite hands-on and things like that. I quite enjoyed it, so I thought maybe that was a career path I might want to go down in the future.”
After doing his exams, Conor found out about an open opportunity at Bill Cleyndert & Company from someone from school who worked there.
He explained: “It was local, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I did my trial and then got the job, and I'm enjoying it.”
Taking that chance paid off for Conor - he was announced as a SkillBuild Furniture and Cabinet Making finalist in June 2026. He’ll now compete in the National Final in Milton Keynes in November 2026.
“I come from a family of bricklayers”
Luke Southall’s journey into construction was very different. Choosing to take up the family trade came naturally to him.
He explained: “I come from a family of bricklayers. My dad's a bricklayer. My uncle's a bricklayer. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join my uncle's firm as an apprentice. I'd been working with them for about four years prior, so I was quite lucky to be able to get a good head start in the trade.”
Luke believes apprenticeship learning is all about the onsite experience.
He said: “It is different to what you learn in college. You'll probably pick up, not more, but different skills. I think it's a really important part of learning and progressing.”
“The sun was out”
SkillBuild judge Chris Berridge started his stonemasonry career straight after school aged 16. However, he had zero interest in the trade until trying work experience – with the help of some good weather!
He said: “There was no interest at all, really. I did a week as a landscape gardener and a week as a stonemason. I did the week as a gardener and it rained all week. I did a week as a stonemason, the sun was out, and I enjoyed what I was doing. I loved it from then, really.”
After his work experience, his local stone yard offered him a job then and there.
He recalled: “So at 16, I went to be a stonemason and went to Bath College for three years, doing an apprenticeship, and yeah, ended up here!”
During his apprenticeship, Chris competed in SkillBuild and won Gold twice. He also won Gold at World Skills in London in 2011.
As GCSE and A Level Results Days approach, our apprentice stories show that there’s no single route to success in construction. Whether they followed in a family member’s footsteps, discovered a trade through work experience, or just gave something local a try, each apprentice found their own path to a career they love.
- Inspired by our apprentices’ stories? Visit Go Construct Careers to find apprenticeship opportunities near you
- Interested in taking up a trade but don’t know where to start? Explore construction job roles
- Want to test your skills? Learn more about SkillBuild, the UK’s largest multi-trade competition, and how to get involved