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The government and training associations nationwide seem to agree that the UK’s flat roofing industry needs to invest more in apprenticeships to address the current labour shortage. Recent statistics justify their unity on the matter. Published in 2023 by UK construction market analyst, Glenigan, the ‘State of the Industry’ highlighted how the skills shortage impacted the building sector. In terms of flat roofing, 22% of firms surveyed reported a shortfall in built-up felters, with 16% and 12% of companies revealing a shortage of single-ply installers, and liquid-applied roofers respectively.

The seriousness of roofing’s personnel shortage was further highlighted in a study by IronmongeryDirect. It revealed roofers had the longest waiting times – due to a shortage of skilled operatives – following a survey of UK workers of the most in-demand trades. On average, it was found customers faced a nine-week wait to employ a roofer, compared to five weeks for the services of a carpenter, builder or electrician.

Training is something I’m very passionate about having spent four years as an apprentice flat roofer as part of my industry induction. Since then, as a tradesperson, I’d estimate I’ve trained about 30 apprentices during my time ‘on the tools’. The outcome for each trainee was largely tied to their employer’s aspirations. Successful candidates mostly worked for businesses that saw them as the industry’s future. For the not-so successful trainees, their training experience was limited by their employees’ need for part-trained cheap labour.

As branch manager for a leading commercial roofing contractor and in a position of some influence, I can now see the challenges at play in instigating training programmes that are crucial to creating a profitable and sustainable flat roofing industry. I’m of the belief that greater togetherness between sector stakeholders is essential to this outcome.

Long-Term Training Benefits Stifled by Short-Term Profit Gains

In my seven years at BriggsAmasco, I’ve experienced first-hand how apprentices nationwide are provided with excellent development opportunities. The company’s training programme is expertly devised and long-established but we continue to strive to improve and focus our offering for trainees in the appropriate areas. At BriggsAmaco, there’s a belief system in place to ensure flat roofing apprentices have the resources and ‘live environment’ experiences to reach the very top of their profession.

Unfortunately, the training we provide is an exception to the industry norm. There just aren’t enough apprentices coming through the contractor ranks. Too many companies are driven by a culture of short-termism, meaning they would rather employ cheap, unskilled labour than invest time and money nurturing untapped talent.

The short-termism culture has wider-reaching consequences. The tendering of government and private building contracts, for example, is often decided solely on cost. In such cases, companies that invest their time, money and effort in industry-recognised training schemes are significantly disadvantaged. Their need to achieve higher profit margins due to their trainee commitments invariably prices them out of government tenders, despite them doing the right thing by investing in development programmes that will ultimately benefit the industry’s push for more skilled labour.

Tender Rewards for Trainee Investment?

Companies are not legislated to invest in training and apprenticeships. So, perhaps government incentives are the answer to the roofing skills shortage. In respect of the tendering process, could contract awards favour companies that have committed a higher percentage of profits to in-house apprentice training schemes? This would not only encourage more contractors to start traineeships of their own, it would ease the poaching issue. 

For too long, too many companies – not minded to invest in their own apprentice schemes – have simply snapped up the services of trainees recently qualified elsewhere. In such instances, the lure of more money, rather than improved career opportunities, is the pull. Thus is the way of the world, but it does seem a little imbalanced that one contractor profits from another’s years of trainee investment and development.

BriggsAmasco invests heavily to develop our employees’ and sub-contractors’ roofing knowledge and skills via a range of accredited learning programmes that lead to a recognised industry qualification. Eight of our apprentices achieved an NVQ or SVQ qualification in 2023, which is essential to meeting our core performance values: safety, competency and quality.

Aside from extremely valuable benefits in terms of personal development and day-to-day workplace performance, investing in traineeships can boost employers in ways they might not expect. Young recruits bring a new dynamic to the workplace. They can also bring new ideas that act as a re-energising force for older, more experienced colleagues. That’s why more companies should be minded to invest in traineeships. Motivated personnel are a pathway to business success, and a well-constructed learning programme is ideal for ensuring new arrivals feel inspired, supported and valued.  

Now is the time to separate business rivalries and focus on facing the ever-increasing skills shortage – an issue that negatively impacts the roofing industry in so many ways. There is a golden opportunity to train for a profession that is valued the world over, offers excellent financial reward, personal fulfilment, a lifetime of amazing experiences and lifelong friendships.

It needs shouting from the rooftops – this is a career worth training for. Therefore, the means must be provided to make it happen.

By Allan Doris, BriggsAmasco Glasgow Branch Manager

BriggsAmasco has triumphed at this year’s NFRC Scottish Roofing Contractor of the Year Awards. Its teams’ outstanding delivery of a challenging waterproofing programme as part of the Central Quay residential development in Glasgow earned victory in the ‘Multi-Discipline Project over £250,000’ category.

BriggsAmasco’s success was announced at an NFRC finalists’ event held at The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow awards on Friday 25^th October. A record 270 contractors, suppliers and merchants from across the Scottish region attended the event, which was hosted by TV and radio personality Tam Cowan.

Tony Lawther, Managing Director at BriggsAmasco said: “What a fantastic achievement. The NFRC Scottish Roofing Contractor of the Year Awards are incredibly well-regarded throughout the industry. To come out on top in a hotly contested roofing category is a real badge of honour for our waterproofing teams and the company as a whole.” 

The Central Quay programme comprised 35 roof areas across four steepling tower blocks totalling 3,323m². The huge area was waterproofed by BriggsAmasco using the skillset of five different flat roofing activities: Bauder Bakor Hotmelt; Bauder Thermofol single-ply; Bauder Liquide, Bauder BTRS built-up felt roofing, and IKO Permascreed mastic asphalt levelling screed. It also included paving slab and ballast roof landscaping finishes, as well as a large podium deck 1870m² over an underground car park.

Delivered to the highest standard with a zero-defect sign-off, the Central Quay project further showcased BriggsAmasco teams’ ability to overcome waterproof detail challenges and deliver a range of perfectly executed solutions using mastic asphalt.

Tony Lawther continued: “I can’t speak highly enough of the incredible work carried out at Central Quay, one of the city’s newest and largest housing developments. Congratulations to all BriggsAmasco teams involved in the project.”

A landmark London regeneration project, which enlisted BriggsAmasco’s waterproofing skills as part of a multiple-application roofing programme, has won a coveted RIBA award.

Phase Two of the multimillion-pound Battersea Power Station restoration was announced winner of the 2024 RIBA London Conservation award. BriggsAmasco installed 45,000m² of waterproofing and insulation for the project – one of the largest urban regenerations of its type in Europe – to help transform the once derelict power station into a vibrant mixed-use development containing more than 250 residential apartments, 100 new retail, food and drink outlets, a 2,000-capacity events venue and 500,000ft² of new office space. 

In summarising the success of the ‘deeply impressive’ 220,000m² Battersea Power Station project, RIBA judges highlighted architect Wilkinson Eyre’s creative use of roof space at the site’s residential area. It included garden terraces as part of a shared, biodiverse multiple installation carried out by BriggsAmasco.

Tony Lawther, Manager Director at BriggsAmasco said: “It’s fantastic to have played a part in a project that’s the recipient of a RIBA award. The Battersea Power Station regeneration is certainly one of the biggest, most high-profile developments we’ve been involved with. The waterproofing aspect’s completion to such a high standard is testament to the experience, skills and commitment of our installation teams. They should take particular pride that RIBA has deemed the project worthy of a Conservation award.”

Up to 70 full-time BriggsAmasco operatives, ranging from a specialist mastic asphalt installation team to a host of designers and project planners, were assigned to the Battersea Power Station project. Teams installed sedum green roofs using IKO enertherm inverted insulation to create the biodiverse garden terraces, with RIBA judges praising the ‘elevated city square’ aesthetic it created. 

BriggsAmasco waterproofing expertise and IKO’s high-performance mastic asphalt product range also combined to deliver smart, watertight protection to the power station’s main energy centre and its iconic white chimneys.

Tony continued: “Our close working relationship with IKO was key to the successful design and delivery of waterproofing applications across the Battersea Power Station site. Therefore, IKO deserve huge credit for their contribution to this award-winning project.”

For more information about the award please click here.

Our branch manager Allan Doris from our Glasgow branch has spoken with Housebuilder & Developer about “Lack of building tolerance knowledge could undermine drive for passivhaus standard homes”.

You can read the full article here.

Tony Lawther (Managing Director) has spoken to RCI Magazine, about the Building Safety Act, covering the new systems; Building Control; Competence; Gateways; Golden Thread of Information; Mandatory and Voluntary Occurrence Reporting.

Read the full article in RCI’s Magazine July 2024 issue.

BriggsAmasco was proud to showcase its commitment to helping improve the skills of a new generation of roofers at the 2024 Mastic Asphalt Council (MAC) Awards by sponsoring the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ category. Congratulations to Frankie Storrie, who walked away as this year’s winner.

Frankie’s triumph was announced during a finalists’ ceremony held in June at London’s Royal Horseguards Hotel. Nearly 200 high-profile industry professionals attended the event, described as the year’s ‘most prestigious’ gathering for the waterproofing industry.

 Tony Lawther, managing director explained “The UK roofing industry is experiencing a huge demand for skilled professionals. Therefore, it’s important companies such as ours do what they can to promote roofing as a viable, fulfilling career for young people. Frankie’s success at the MAC Awards is indictive of the calibre of entrant we hoped the Apprentice of the Year category would attract. He’s talented, hard-working and has real passion for roofing”

Frankie, an apprentice at Oxley Asphalte Roofing Services in Brighton, left school aged 16 without qualifications. Now 17, his mastic asphalt apprenticeship includes a functional skills online course. Frankie has also enrolled at college to study English and Maths alongside his apprenticeship course.

It’s been a sensational few months for Frankie, who was also named ‘Young Roofer of the Year’ at this year’s NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors) UK Roofing Awards.

 Tony continued: “Frankie deserves the success that has come his way. He’s an inspiration to young people looking to enter the industry. We wish him the best of luck with his ongoing training. A long and happy roofing career awaits.”