North Staffordshire’s pioneering roofing school is looking for its first applicants

Young people who are looking for a career in the construction industry are being urged to apply now for a place at Staffordshire’s first roofing career pathway.

Rydale Roofing recently unveiled plans to launch the Building Futures Stoke-on-Trent Roofing Hub in a partnership with Juniper Training.

With 15 local building and roofing contractors pledging support for the initiative, work is now underway to get ready for the first trainees in early 2021. Applications can be made by contacting Lisa Jenkins, via email at li**********@****************co.uk.

Julie Mirowski, a Director at Silverdale-based Rydale Roofing, said: “We have had a strong response from the trade and that means it is now all systems go, we are now recruiting candidates to start in February. We are looking for teenagers, aged 16 to 19, who want to commit to learn a trade. Rydale Roofing, working with Juniper Training, will give trainees taster sessions in skills such as slating and tiling, fitting waterproof membranes, sheeting and cladding, manual handling and working at heights.

“They will work with us for 24-weeks, both out on the job and in our training room at Rydale Roofing on the Silverdale Business Park. There’ll also be site visits to the other companies who have pledged to get involved and, by the end of the six month programme, trainees will have gained their CSCS site cards. The idea is that the 15 firms, who have joined up, will then take on trainees as apprentices, giving a clear pathway into long-term employment.”

The Stoke-on-Trent pathway follows the success of a similar scheme in Walsall. Trainees will receive instruction and learn from experienced roofers across skills such as slating and tiling, fitting waterproof membranes, sheeting and cladding, manual handling and working at heights.

Added Julie: “The roofing sector has an ageing workforce and this initiative is vital to bring new, young blood into the industry. It is an industry where the demand is always there, so it is an opportunity for anyone who wants to work in the trades to get a good start.

“At Rydale Roofing, we have always had a keen focus on training and staff development, so we were keen to become Juniper’s roofing company partner for North Staffordshire.”

There’s currently a £1,000 incentive from the Government for companies taking on apprentices and, where companies are Construction Industry Training Board apprentice levy-payers, there’s £7,000 worth of grants available.

The Chartered Institute of Building says that the construction Industry needs 157,000 new recruits by 2021 to keep up with demand but currently the rate of recruitment into the sector is far lower than the retirement rate within the sector.