THE WALES National Roof Training Group (WNRTG) is moving home to the Roofbase Training Academy in Cardiff from its former training centre in Caerphilly.

The WNRTG Group Training Officer, Lesley Hughes, is starting a new position with independent roofing merchant Roofbase as its Training Manager.

Lesley will combine her WNRTG role with the new Roofbase position. She will be based at Roofbase’s Cardiff branch, where the Roofbase Training Academy will double up as the new home for WNRTG.

Steve Lloyd, Managing Director of Roofbase, said: “Lesley’s experience and knowledge of roofing industry training will help us to further improve and increase the training that we provide.”

The Roofbase Training Academy already offers roofers training in lead, liquid-applied roofing, solar, EPDM roofing and rooflight installation.

CITB Funding Pulled

The training group move follows a CITB decision in March 2023 to pull funding from Specialist Applied-Skills Programme (SAP) roofing apprenticeship training in South Wales after 14 years. Lesley warned at the time that losing the funding would threaten closure for WNRTG’s Caerphilly training centre.

Despite CITB assurances that alternative roofing apprenticeships would be offered for South Wales’ roofing contractors, the Welsh government website, Careers Wales shows no roofing apprenticeship courses are available in the region. The nearest roofing apprenticeship training is offered in Wrexham or in England.

Collaborative Approach

Speaking to WNRTG members about the move, Lesley said: “The current service you receive from myself via WNRTG will not change and I will still continue this independent role while all the roofing training is moving to Cardiff from Caerphilly.

“I will be adding to my current role as the Roofbase Training Manager and this will enable a collaborative approach to roofing training in South Wales that will benefit all.”

Lesley’s new role starts at the beginning of September. There will be a launch event at Roofbase Cardiff in early October to officially welcome her and WNRTG.

Lesley can be contacted at lesley.hughes@wnrtg.co.uk.

>> Read more about WNRTG in the news

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