An assistant quantity surveyor, who is relishing the challenge of managing the budgets of two housing developments in Merseyside, has been named Bellway’s 2026 Apprentice of the Year.
Kieran James, 22, from Liverpool, joined Bellway as an apprentice estimator in 2022 before switching to a quantity surveying role the following year.
After finishing his two-year apprenticeship in 2025, Kieran was appointed as an assistant quantity surveyor. He is currently responsible for two sites. He is also now studying one day a week towards a degree in quantity surveying with Liverpool John Moores University.
Comments from Apprentice of the Year
Kieran said: “I was buzzing when I was told that I had been chosen as Bellway Apprentice of the Year. The day after I found out I was on a site visit where there were a number of directors. They all knew and all congratulated me. It felt good to be acknowledged in that way.
“It is great to be at such a progressive company as Bellway because they allowed me to switch from an apprenticeship in estimating to one in quantity surveying. The role allows me to be part of the team that is in charge of managing all financial and contractual aspects of building developments from start to finish.
“I feel lucky to have been able to change and forged ahead to finish my two-year apprenticeship in 2025.”
He added: “At the moment, I am effectively the quantity surveyor responsible for two developments – Lydiate Gate and Kenyons Cross both in Lydiate on Merseyside. It is a lot of pressure and responsibility but that is what I signed up for.
“I have to produce a Cost Value Reconciliation (CRV) report for these sites every quarter and to present it to the directors. I have to cover what the current profit margin for the site is estimated to be and how we can maintain or increase that. It gets the heart racing but I like that. It’s a challenge I can rise to.
“This job calls for total precision, attention to detail and being good with figures and that is where I excel. I think that’s why I chose the apprenticeship route where I get paid to gain a degree rather than go to university. To me it is a no-brainer and I am loving life at Bellway.”
Runners up
Bellway announced the winners of its 2026 Apprentice of the Year Awards during National Apprenticeship Week (9 to 15 February).
The runner up was Steven Bates, a 21-year-old apprentice engineer from Bexley, who works for the Thames Gateway division. Bellway North London apprentice engineer Ivenjit Bassi, 24, from Hounslow, and Brad Preston, a 21-year-old apprentice joiner from Tamworth who works for the West Midlands division, were both highly commended.
Apprenticeships are vital to the industry
Laura Cooper, Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Bellway, said: “These awards recognise the vital contribution that our apprentices make to the business, and I’d like to congratulate Kieran, Steven, Ivenjit and Brad on their success.
“Our apprentices are the managers and team leaders of the future. Through our membership of the 5% Club we are committed to having at least five per cent of our workforce in ‘earn and learn’ roles. In fact, our latest figures show that in 2025, we had 7.2 per cent of our employees in such roles as apprentices, trainees, or graduates.
“We are now seeking to recruit the next generation of housebuilding talent, having recently launched our 2026 apprenticeship programme with 37 apprenticeships available across the country. These include 15 positions in site-based construction roles such as bricklaying, joinery and groundworking. They are the lifeblood of the business and vital to the future of this industry.”
