Matthew Grove, aged 21, is in charge of Heavyside Sales at a branch of national builders merchant chain Buildbase in the West Midlands region.

“I do the buying and selling for a product range that includes bricks, blocks, timber and wood products. I’m interested in timber because it’s renewable. The trees harvested for wood production are replanted so there will always be a constant supply.

“We check with our suppliers that they have the necessary certification proving that the timber has been grown and harvested sustainably. Buildbase believes that sustainable timber should be available to all our customers. I’d like to see builders take more of an interest in the sustainability of timber, but to make this happen we need to promote it and make them more aware of what they’re buying. It ought to be routine for them to use timber from sustainable forests.

“My job is challenging as I have lots of different tasks each day. As well as buying and selling I also look after quoting. I think customer service is important and I’m doing a level 3 NVQ in sales and customer service. I’ve also taken five Builders’ Merchants Federation MOLs and gained a City & Guilds certificate. I’ve just been on a trip to Sweden to see timber being grown, harvested and processed as I studied for and passed the Buildbase Timber Champions course. This gave me a Timber Studies Award from the Institute of Wood Science. I’m advancing through training much faster than any of my friends in other industries.

“For anyone interested in working with wood, I’d suggest doing some work experience in a builders’ merchant. We have a couple of work experience trainees each year and they get to see all sides of the business, including timber sales, picking up knowledge along the way. I’d recommend this job to anyone and I’m aiming to move further up the career ladder over the next few years.”