As part of its ongoing commitment to investing in future roofing talent, Marley is sponsoring SkillBuild, the UK’s largest running construction skills competition.
As sponsor of both the regional qualifiers and final, Marley has also donated JB Red battens and tiles, which will be used by trainees and apprentices competing within the Roof Slating and Tiling category.
“As the construction industry continues to face an ongoing shortage of skills, including roofers, it is vital that we support the next generation coming into the sector,” said Rebecca Ball, campaign manager – roof systems at Marley. “Competitions such as SkillBuild not only work to develop competitors’ technical abilities, but also their time management, confidence and self-esteem, which help form the foundations of a long and successful career in the trade.”
“SkillBuild is a fantastic opportunity for our apprentices to take the technical skills they’ve developed and compete among their peers, with the winners even having the chance to compete on an international level,” said Chris Messenger, who is part of the team of lecturers who train students for competitions at Leeds College of Building. “Having the support from manufacturers, such as Marley, ensures those taking part can get to grips with quality roofing products, gaining further practical experience, which they will be able to use throughout their career.”
Simon Dixon, training manager at the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC), has been working with the roofing competitors. “We’re really excited to be working alongside the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) again for this year’s SkillBuild competition,” he said.
“Competitions such as SkillBuild play an important role in encouraging and showcasing our best young talent and creating role models to inspire the next generation.”
SkillBuild, delivered by CITB, is the largest multi-trade competition in the UK for construction trainees and apprentices. The series of competitions sees the very best compete against each other to be crowned a winner in their chosen trade.
The regional qualifiers conclude this month and the final is from November 21-23 at the Birmingham NEC.
Zest for training
Garden products manufacturer Zest 4 Leisure is keen to continue to develop its employees’ skillsets and, at the end of last year, the company’s management team undertook a leadership programme at Coleg Cambria, working on three cross-department work-based projects. These have already had an impact on improving the way employees work as a team across all divisions of the business.
Institute of Leadership and Management courses have also been successfully completed by two members of the Zest team.
The company was also recently awarded ‘Developed’ status following an Investors in People review. This is in recognition of the work everyone within the business is doing to improve and embed its people practices and to enable an environment in which individuals can develop and grow.
