22 August 2025
Scaffolding apprenticeship provides the perfect career platform for Louis
Build UK chair and D-Drill & Sawing managing director Julie White is passionate about bringing through the next generation of workforce in the construction industry. So much so, that Julie was recently appointed onto the Government’s Construction Skills Mission Board.
In this regular feature on the D-Drill website, The Real Apprentice – You Are Hired, Julie has been catching up with apprentices in the industry both within D-Drill and at other companies in the sector to show the breadth of careers on offer – with hundreds of jobs in the industry!
Louis Sturges wasn’t sure what direction to take when it was time to leave school and admits to feeling a ‘bit lost’. That was until his uncle introduced him to the world of construction, and he hasn’t looked back since after becoming an apprentice with GKR Scaffolding.
Louis said: “I left school at 16 and I didn’t really have much idea of what I wanted to do. Growing up, like most lads, I wanted to be something like a lawyer or a footballer, but I wasn’t really good enough to be a professional!
“I was a bit lost to be honest. I was in and out of a few little jobs, like warehouse work and things like that but nothing that I could see turning into a career.
“At school, there hadn’t really been too much talk about apprenticeships. It felt like everyone wanted you to go down the sixth form route and that wasn’t really for me. But, at that age, you don’t know even half of the jobs that exist so it’s not that easy to make a decision about what direction to take.
“Then my uncle, Paul, who’s been in the industry for 25 years as a scaffolder, pointed me towards giving this a try and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I joined GKR when I was 17, laboured for six months, then started the apprenticeship, and I haven’t looked back since.
“My career was always going to be something hands-on for sure, or maybe something with people. But I needed that nudge from my uncle to try scaffolding, and once I did, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do.
“I’m a second fixer now. Basically, anyone who is a scaffolder is a fixer and, as a second fixer, I follow on behind the first one and we’re part of a whole gang. I help out as much as I can.
“As well as working on site with the team, I train at the LASC Centre in Leytonstone, East London. Again, it’s really good and completely different to school. At college, you learn things and then take them back to work and reflect on them. You understand what you are learning and why you are learning it. Everyone has chosen to be there and wants to learn and improve, which makes it a much better environment.
“It’s an 18-month course and my end-point assessment is in January 2026 so there’s not long left.
“Once I get Part 2 of my apprenticeship, I’ll be fully qualified. Then I can take my advanced ticket, which I’d like to do maybe in a couple of years. I’d like to move into supervising or project management.
“There’s a lot to scaffolding that people just don’t realise, including design, health and safety, and some really specialist work.
“The project I am on now is really exciting. It is One Exchange Square on Liverpool Street in London. We’ve used lots of different types of scaffolds including cantilevers and hangers. Overall, I think we’ve used about 16,000 tonnes of scaffold just on this job.
“At peak times there have been around 25 people working on it from our business.
“The sense of reward when you’ve put up a scaffold to the right standard and to the drawing is fantastic. You draw great confidence from knowing you can do it and from being part of a great team.
“Scaffolding is way more professional now than maybe it was once considered to be. There’s a really good career path and you can make decent money from it too. It’s practical and you’re working in an important industry that is crucial to the whole of construction. In my opinion, it should be promoted more in schools.
“It’s good fun too. There’s banter every day and it’s that camaraderie with your team-mates that makes the job a lot easier.
“The only downside is probably the weather in the winter months but working outside in the summer definitely makes up for it!”
Julie’s thoughts: “Everything that Louis said about promoting apprenticeships and the construction industry in schools really resonated with me – it’s a story I’ve heard many times before.
“But it is brilliant to see that he’s found his passion in scaffolding and that the company has supported him so much along the way.
“In my role as Build UK Chair and the Government’s Construction Skills Mission Board, I am pushing the importance of apprenticeships and encouraging more people to come into our industry. There are hundreds of specialist trades which offer great training, a great career path and great rewards for those who work hard and progress – something I am sure Louis is going to do!”
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