ROOFING BUSINESSES in Yorkshire and the North East attended a Flat Roofing CPD showcase on Tuesday 25 April.

The day was hosted by the North East Roof Training Group (NERTG) and Yorkshire Independent Roof Training Group (YIRTG).

Held at the Holiday Inn Scotch Corner, contractors gathered at the event to hear presentations from manufacturers and flat roofing trade federations on topics such as working at height, fire safety, and finding and funding training.

Denise Cherry, YIRTG Training Manager

Denise Cherry, National Roofing Training Group Chair and YIRTG Training Manager, said “I am absolutely delighted that the CPD day was so well received.  We are looking to deliver similar events across England and Wales to support roofing and cladding members in staying up to date with the latest installation, regulation and funding developments.”

Roofing CPD Day

Morning sessions at the Roofing CPD day included an introduction to the LRWA delivered by Steve Leech; advice on mitigating the risk of fire in flat roofing and the Safe2Torch standard, from Langley; and insight into BRoof(t4) fire safety testing regulations from TaperedPlus.

Working at height was also a significant topic at the event. Attendees heard from the training company, Safety Maintenance Company about the importance of having a rescue plan in place to manage the risk of falls. The talk covered serious roof falls, as well as more common falls, such as stepping off a ladder awkwardly, leading to broken foot bones.

The afternoon sessions focused on finding and funding training and tackling the skills shortage.

Ronan Brunton, CEO of the SPRA, delivered a fascinating update on new requirements from the Competence Working Group, led by the Construction Products Association about to be to enshrined as a Standard. This will mean roofing contractors, as part of UK construction, will be required to demonstrate their competence.

This was followed by a presentation from Claire Griffiths, editor of Roofing Today, introducing the TAP for Roofing website. This is a new industry resource designed to help roofers and cladders find training course across the UK and online. TAP for Roofing, launched earlier this year, now lists 200 training courses across a range of roofing and cladding disciplines. The talk also delved into the skills shortage and ways to tackle it by focusing on the aspects of employment most valued by workers. As a NFRC Charity trustee, Claire also mentioned the NFRC Charity Inclusion Fund that offers businesses up to £2000 to attend or host recruitment events.

There was also plenty of information on training funding and how to find it. Mark David from the North East Local Skills Improvement Plan (NELSIP) and delegates from CITB were on hand to address funding opportunities for roofing training. This included information on the Small Business Levy Reduction in which businesses with a turnover between £120,000 and £399,999 can receive a 50% levy reduction, and those under £120,000 are exempt from paying the levy but remain CITB-registered enabling them to access training funding.

Advice on recruiting and retaining staff came from Ruth Scarrott at the NFRC Roofing Careers Service. The talk focused on how the NFRC is supporting its members to find, place and mentor new recruits through the ECO scheme.

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