Helping young people play a part in creating the buildings of today and the future has seen the team at ON Architecture embrace its industry-specific apprenticeships.

Currently three of the 40-strong team at the practice’s Kent and London studios are architectural apprentices. This involves each of them working four days a week as integral members of the ON team, with one day spent studying at London South Bank University.

Luke Harrison, Director at ON Architecture, said: “It’s great that the National Apprenticeships Week (8th-14th February) helps to highlight the importance of apprenticeships not only to the young person, but also to industries such as our own.

“By blending real life paid work with high quality university-based learning it ensures we can attract young talent with fresh ways of thinking to ON, and create a dynamic and ambitious team.

“As a business we employ the apprentice and the cost of the course is covered by ourselves and the Government. This means the apprentice gets industry standard training without the financial burden of a student loan.”

Connor Smith, one of the ON apprentices, added: “The apprenticeship offers us the best of both worlds. It provides paid employment and, thanks to the on-the-job training and mentoring, it also reduces the time it takes us to become a fully-qualified architect because of this.”

The three ON Architecture apprentices are each on courses endorsed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Connor Smith and Greg Howes, both aged 26, are each studying a Masters in Architecture (MArch) Apprenticeship, and will be finishing their Part 3 Architect’s assessment in March 2023.

Max Pole, aged 19, is doing a BA (Hons) Architecture as part of his Architectural Assistant Apprenticeship, and is on course to complete this in September 2023.

For further information about the practice and its projects visit, www.ONArchitecture.co.uk