From apprentice joiner to regional director, follow the journey of Bryan Tennant

Bryan Tennant, Regional Director of Repairs and Maintenance and Construction at property services business Liberty started his career as an apprentice in 2000. As part of National Apprenticeship Week, he shares more about his journey from apprentice to director. 

My career in property services started when I saw an opportunity for an apprenticeship in joinery in the local paper in 2000 when I was 16.

There were lots of applicants, but I was fortunate enough to secure the role after looking at apprenticeships at a number of different organisations, and I never looked back.

Going through the apprentice route meant that I was able to learn on the job from experienced joiners whilst also gaining my qualifications and I even won some awards!

Three years after taking up the opportunity, I became a fully qualified joiner and from there I steadily began to work my way up the organisation.

I was successful in applying for a supervisor role and from there I progressed to the next level as technical officer and a year later, I was promoted to assistant team leader, before becoming team leader and then project manager.

Thanks to Liberty’s commitment to investing in skills development to ensure that we deliver the best possible service to our clients, in 2017 I seized the opportunity to complete my Higher National Certificate (HNC), and NVQ Level 7 in Construction Senior Management.

This put me in a strong position to secure a contract manager position in 2018 before I took up the role of regional director in 2020, a proud moment in my career development with Liberty.

I would fully recommend taking up an apprenticeship. It’s given me lots of great skills not just in construction but life skills as well.

It’s these opportunities that have driven my passion for supporting others to grasp the benefits that apprenticeships can offer.

Through Liberty’s aim to ensure we create as much local benefit as we can in the areas where we work, I’m currently working with local colleges in Wrexham, North Wales, to recruit apprentices to support contracts that we are delivering in the region.

I hope that through sharing my journey I can help to inspire others to think about an apprenticeship as a way to progress in their chosen career – with hard work, confidence and belief, apprentices really can go as far as their ambition takes them.