Building Futures Stoke

Here at Rydale Roofing we are well  aware of the current skills shortage in the difficulties in attracting new entrants to our industry. We have recently created a new Training Hub in partnership with Juniper Training to look to assist with this and encourage more young people to consider a career in construction

Everyone in the industry knows that roofing offers a fantastic long-term career. It’s well paid, it offers excellent career progression opportunities for those who are keen and competent, allows for the ability to move between other trades, it offers an opportunity to travel the country as well as many other perks.

With the industry now experiencing rapid rates of growth, particularly in house-building, this is putting further strain on an industry which has already been facing skills shortages. We feel that attracting and developing young students is the key to ensuring that the roofing industry can grow inline with the current boom in the housing market.

What we are doing now: 

The course that we are offering is a 24 week course to gain a Level 1 in Construction, once they have gained this they then have the opportunity to progress onto an 18month apprenticeship with some of the local roofing companies in Stoke on Trent including ourselves. On completion of the apprenticeship all of our students will then gain a Level 2 in their chosen style of roofing – whether it be Slating & Tiling, Liquid Waterproofing or Sheeting & Cladding.  

Apprentices bring many different qualities to a roofing company including enthusiasm, energy and fresh ideas to a business to help contribute to its development and success.

However, both recruiting and developing apprentices is not an easy process. Poor perception of the industry, outdated stereotypes and a lack of awareness of the opportunities within the sector have held our industry back for years.

We feel the only way to change this is through engaging with young people and those outside the industry.

Our training hub officially opened to our first cohort of students in February 2021 & our second intake will be September 2021, this is with the view of being able to offer both intakes at the same time each year. if you are interested in this new venture then please give us a call at Rydale Roofing on 01782 625894 or Juniper Training on 01922 645 666.