Nathan Randle is a Multi-Channel Marketing Apprentice at BMF.
Before joining the building materials industry, I had a good understanding of the work that goes on around building materials sector, such as bricklaying, plumbing etc, however I didn’t have a clear picture of a building merchant, and what goes on within a merchant. I was keen to learn and grow within the industry, working for the BMF, a leading trade body amongst building merchants.
My apprenticeship has impacted my career development extremely effectively, giving me relevant courses and lessons that reflect my day-to-day roles and responsibilities being a marketer at the BMF. From learning about the customer journey, and the process of awareness all the way through to the final conversion, email marketing, data analysis and so much more.
During my apprenticeship, I have developed many new skills, such as how to analyse data and review marketing campaigns. I’ve learned how to segment audiences into demographics, psychographics and I’ve also learned how to become more confident in segmenting audiences and learning their behaviours and interests.
Regarding role models, my dad is a self-employed bricklayer and has been for 30+ years, so from early on I’ve been involved in the building materials/construction industry.
I worked with him for 9-10 weeks and got firsthand experience of site work and home foundation building. Knowing this aided my decision in choosing to work within the building materials industry, just this time from a different perspective, seeing where the materials come from and how they are supplied on site to those who need it.
During my dad’s time in the industry, there has been a big shift in the average age range of on-site builders, which has been getting younger as time has progressed. He frequently tells me that he is seeing the introduction of younger, predominantly male workers enter the site, looking for as career in construction. This can only be seen as a positive for the future of the industry.
If I was to give any advice to someone who was considering joining the industry, it would be that you must be open-minded and not join with the preconception that the building materials industry is dirty, boring and male dominated. Since joining, I have learned that this is simply not the case, and there are so many opportunities within the industry, from networking with like-minded people, to building your own portfolio and climbing the ranks within the sector.
I hope my choice of career and current enjoyment of it will inspire more and more people my age to take the step into joining the building materials sector, and join the countless amount of opportunities you will experience whilst being within it, as I said, I’ve only been working here for just under 8 months, and I have grown so much as a person from where I was back at the start of 2025, being in an engineering factory with no real goal or vision ahead.
The building materials industry gave me an opportunity to express my skills and abilities in a way I don’t believe many other sectors could.
