Birmingham apprentice wins national trades award for carpentry excellence

Chris Wilson, a carpentry and joinery apprentice from Birmingham, has been named one of three winners of The Nation’s A Trades Apprentice Award 2025*.

Carpentry and joinery apprentice, Chris Wilson – one of three winners of The Nation’s A* Apprentice Award 2025 – has received a development package worth over £5,000

The award, run by Markel Direct, the specialist tradespeople insurer, celebrates the outstanding work apprentices across the UK are doing in their workplaces and highlights the vital role they play in the future of the construction industry.

Chris stood out among strong competition from nominations nationwide and was selected by a judging panel including Rob Rees, Divisional Director of Markel Direct; James Wilson, Marketing Manager at Festool; and Robin Clevett, carpenter and host of The Carpentry Show on Fix Radio.

As part of his prize, Chris received a development package including:

• A Festool toolkit and accessories worth £4,000

• 24-hour tools cover for a year from Markel Direct, valued at £294

• A £750 voucher to spend on trades clothing at workwear and tools provider ITS

Chris was nominated by his employer, Rafael Rose James of RRJ Carpentry and Joinery Ltd, who says: “Chris continues to go above and beyond my expectations — his work ethic is a breath of fresh air. Both me and Chris are neurodivergent, so it’s been difficult. However, his endless patience and willingness to learn have made me want to not just be the best teacher I can for him, but also push the company to new heights, taking on bigger and better jobs as we grow together.”

On receiving the award, Chris commented: “These prizes are going to help me a lot – I’m very privileged to win it all. The Markel Direct tool insurance takes a bit of weight off your shoulders, knowing you don’t have to pay for it for a whole year. And for the £750 ITS voucher, it’s only right I spend a bit of it on Rafa too – he deserves this as much as me because he put in all the hard work teaching me and got me to where I am today.”

The other two winners of the award were Gabbi Day – a roofing apprentice from Chesterfield – and Ben Mills – a plumbing apprentice from Warwick.

Following the judging process, Rob Rees commented: “The quality of this year’s nominations was outstanding. On behalf of the judges, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to nominate an apprentice. Choosing the three winners was incredibly difficult, as so many showed just how invaluable apprentices are to the trades and construction industry. Winning this award is a great achievement for Gabbi, Chris and Ben – I’d like to congratulate them all on their fantastic progress so far.”

To learn more about the winners and see the judges’ comments, visit www.markeluk.com/apprentice.