Stonemasonry apprentice Anthony receives prestigious national award from Lord Mayor of London

The talented 20-year-old was presented this week with the Worshipful Company of Masons Master Craftsman Apprentice Award in the Egyptian Hall at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor of London Alastair King.

Anthony, who served the worksite element of his apprenticeship with Mono Masonry in his home town of Oldham, completed his End Point Assessment last May, having also reached the 2024 final of the Go Construct National SkillBuild competition after winning the Northern Region qualifier.

He is now employed as a Banker Stonemason by Mono Masonry, who have sent their apprentices to York College for the past 20 years despite being sited 60 miles from Sim Balk Lane. 

On winning the award, Anthony said: “It was a nice surprise as I didn’t know that (York College tutor) Paul (Hill) had put me forward for it. It also makes me feel happy that my work has been appreciated.”

The apprenticeship saw six-week stints on site for Mono Masonry interspersed with two-week block periods at College – a balance that Anthony felt worked really well as a model of learning. 

“We got full nine-hour days of learning at College and were given all the basic manual skills that you have to know before you are able to progress, because everything can’t be done with grinders and power tools,” he pointed out. “At work, you might also be on a six-month project so you focus on what needs doing, whereas at College you can work on stuff that you might not be getting as much practice with on-site. 

“One example that I can remember really enjoying was making an ionic capital, which you’d probably never see at work.”

Anthony went on to stress how he feels that he has found his niche – an assertion very much supported by his national prize – having initially taken a different post-16 pathway.

“After I finished my GCSEs, I applied for a few apprenticeships, but didn’t get anything back, so I went to Sixth Form in Oldham for six to eight months to do A Levels in Maths, Engineering and Physics, but didn’t like it,” he explained. “I then saw the stonemasonry apprenticeship advert and thought it was potentially something I could do, because I enjoyed engineering and joinery in school.

“Stonemasonry isn’t an easy job and some pieces of work can take a while to do because they need to be done right, but I like going on site and seeing what I’ve been working on put in place.” 

On his future hopes in the profession, Anthony added: “If it’s possible, I’d like to learn some of the carving aspects. 

“I have learned some, but my job doesn’t always require them, so it would be nice to learn a bit more. I’d also like to get on site a bit more and not just be in the workshop.”

York College & University Centre Stonemasonry tutor Paul Hill nominated Anthony for his Worshipful Company of Masons awards and, on why he merited the recognition, said: “Anthony worked hard to achieve his skill level and consistently produced a high-quality finish to each stone he completed. He was also able to help other students at the college improve their techniques by demonstrating to them his methods of approach and work ethic.”

To learn more about our Level 2 Stonemasonry Apprenticeship, click here

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