BMI Apprentice of the Year competition crowns this year's champions

Roofing manufacturer BMI UK & Ireland has crowned its 2025 BMI Apprentice of the Year winners, with Marcus Conlan taking the top spot in the Flat Roof category and Harrison Davies named as Pitched Roof winner.

Now in its eighth year, the competition was hosted at the BMI Academy near Gloucester, where 20 shortlisted apprentices from across the UK came together to take part in two days of technical tasks, group challenges and individual presentations.

This year’s theme ‘Empower and Evolve’ focused on personal growth and development, reflecting the determination, resilience and drive of the next generation of roofers, and echoing the overarching sentiment of the applicants.

Alongside the hands-on competition, apprentices heard from industry speakers including Fraser Biles, Managing Director, and Matthew Sexton, Technical and Compliance Director at BMI UK & Ireland; Hayley Reynolds, Construction Director at Itech Roofworks; and Jamie Taylor, Managing Director at Taylor Roofs. Presentations covered advice on presentation skills, the Building Safety Act, career progression and project case studies.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Fraser Biles said: “We’ve had another brilliant year for the Apprentice of the Year awards. The standard of entries was exceptional and everyone who made it to the Academy should be extremely proud of their achievement.

“It’s incredibly encouraging to see such enthusiasm and commitment from the next generation of roofing professionals. Their passion for the trade was evident throughout.”

Both winners received a cash prize of £1,000, 3 years’ complimentary access to further BMI training courses to support their ongoing development, and all finalists received tools donated by SIG Roofing.

Harrison Davies, from Bolton College and A1 Bespoke, winner of the BMI Redland Apprentice of the Year award, said: “Just being named a finalist was an honour, so to win is honestly unbelievable! The standard of competition was incredibly high, and I’ve come away having learnt so much.”