Housebuilder Ward Homes is looking for eight new apprentices this year to become the next generation of bricklayers and joiners.

The developer, based in Sundridge, near Sevenoaks, aims to put them to work across Kent and Sussex and already employs nine apprentices.

Its parent company Barratt Developments was named Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards.

Ward Homes managing director Mark Bailey said: “This is a highly exciting time of growth for our industry.

“We want to invite anybody with an interest in construction to consider applying for an apprenticeship with us to help us to build the exceptional new homes and fantastic developments which set Ward Homes apart.”

Ben Quickenden, one of its nine apprentices, is working at the company’s Trinity Village development in Bromley.

The 19-year-old from Well Hill, near Orpington, is 18 months into a carpentry apprenticeship and won Apprentice of the Year in the company’s southern region.

He said: “So far it has been an amazing learning experience and I was so proud to have won Apprenticeship of the Year – so was my mum.

“Ward Homes is an excellent company to work for and the construction team and directors are all so supportive of our progression and development. They treat us with real respect and I really feel like we are valued as an important part of the team.”