Publication Date: 20-02-2025 09:00
Career change to technical apprenticeship leads to awards success for former plumber Charlie
A plumber who decided on a complete change of career direction is now a technical co-ordinator for homebuilder Bellway and has been highly commended in the company’s national Apprentice Awards 2025.
Charlie Hewings, 24, from Bristol, joined Bellway in September 2023 as a technical engineering apprentice and is now nearing the end of his apprenticeship having been recently promoted to technical co-ordinator. “There’s so much variety and I’m so busy the days fly by,” he said.
Having qualified and worked as a plumber for two years Charlie decided to look for something different from his career. He wanted a role where he could continue to learn and where there was a clear route for progression and promotion.
He said: “I saw the advert on Indeed when I was looking for a new job and the advert spoke to me. It was in line with what I was looking for. It included so many responsibilities and tasks, and the variety appealed to me.
“And an apprenticeship appealed to me because you can pick up a qualification while being paid. I still had to pay the bills, but I wanted a job I could progress in.”
He was taken on with Bellway’s technical team to complete an apprenticeship working towards a Level 4 HNC in Construction Design and Build Technology.
Charlie is based at Bellway South West’s divisional office in Almondsbury, Bristol. The team carries out work for developments right from the start through to adoption stage. This involves working with local authorities on planning applications and liaising with architects and civil engineers to co-ordinate and organise the design package for the construction teams. Charlie’s role involves working both on site and in the office.
Charlie said: “It was quite a shock to the system at the start as it was very different to what I was used to, but gradually I have increased my responsibilities and knowledge.
“With my background in plumbing I had worked with similar technical drawings, but it was a new challenge for me, and I’ve learned so much in the time I’ve been here.
“The support I’ve had from Bellway has been fantastic as the team here are incredibly supportive. The senior co-ordinators and technical manager have been very helpful on my journey. They have helped me get to where I am now and I’m very grateful to them.
“I get a great deal of job satisfaction and it’s always nice to learn new skills, try new things and broaden my horizons.”
Technical Manager for Bellway South West Lee Mullens said: “This award is very well deserved. Charlie is a real asset to Bellway. He has been a joy to mentor during his apprenticeship: hardworking and enthusiastic, always willing to take on the next challenge.
“On top of it all he is a really nice chap – well done Charlie on behalf of the Bellway South West team.”
Looking ahead, Charlie wants to progress within the technical team and hopes to reach management level in the future.
Having taken a change of direction after training and working in a different profession, he would advise others who want to do the same to not be put off just because they may have spent some years doing something else. He said: “I would say it’s never to late to try something new.”
To find out more about careers with Bellway, visit https://www.bellwaycareers.co.uk.
