NOCN appoints M&J Evans people director Judith Marriott as Vice-Chair of trustees

NOCN Group, the skills charity and construction awarding organisation, has appointed Judith Marriott, Group People Director at groundworks contractor M&J Evans Construction, to its Board of Trustees as Vice-Chair, it announced on 5 October.

Marriott will hold the trustee post alongside her role at M&J Evans, NOCN said.

The charity said she brings more than 25 years of international experience in people leadership, organisational strategy and workforce development. Her career has covered construction, retail, fast-moving consumer goods, e-commerce, fleet management, healthcare and education.

M&J Evans has been recruiting groundworks apprentices through its own programme since 2024. Speaking in March 2025 about the first intake, Marriott said the initiative was not just about bringing new talent into the business but "also about attracting people to the industry as a whole."

The appointment

NOCN said Marriott's work at M&J Evans covers strategic workforce planning, leadership development, talent management and organisational transformation.

According to the charity, she has developed apprenticeship and talent programmes aimed at strengthening skills in the construction sector, and is focused on tackling skills shortages, creating pathways into employment and social mobility.

NOCN said she also works with employers, training providers, awarding organisations, government stakeholders and industry bodies on skills provision, and has represented industry at national forums.

NOCN's team and trustees page now lists Marriott as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. The board is chaired by Simon Perryman OBE, and Graham Hasting-Evans is chief executive.

About NOCN

NOCN Group describes itself as an international charity delivering skills solutions for colleges, training providers, employers and individuals.

It says it is one of the largest awarding organisations in the construction sector and owns the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS).

The group has a subsidiary in India, the NOCN India Skills Foundation, and says it also operates in Africa, ASEAN, Europe, the Gulf and South Asia.

Its charitable objectives include widening participation in education and vocational training, particularly for people previously excluded from educational opportunities.

The groundworks apprenticeship

M&J Evans was founded in the West Midlands in 2003 as a family-run business. Its profile of Marriott says she has more than 25 years of HR experience at international level as part of a global senior leadership team, and has led large-scale organisational development and cultural transformation programmes.

In December 2024 the contractor announced what it called the construction industry's first bespoke groundworks apprentice programme, in partnership with the National House Building Council (NHBC). The programme was launched at the National School and College Leavers Festival at the Birmingham NEC in November 2024.

Marriott, then titled People Director, said at the time that the programme was more than an apprenticeship or a job, describing it as "the start of a career and the beginning of a journey" with the company.

In March 2025 M&J Evans said it had welcomed 20 groundworks apprentices onto the programme. More than 50 candidates had signed up for an initial four-week taster programme, the company said.

The apprenticeship combines on-the-job learning, classroom learning at the company's West Midlands training hub and practical learning at an NHBC training hub.

According to M&J Evans, it takes about 14 to 16 months to complete and leads to a Level 2 Groundworks Contractor qualification, delivered with NHBC.