RoofCERT – What’s it all About?

RoofCERT is the name of a planned new scheme that will register and accredit roofing contractors in the same vein as Gas Safe registers plumbing and heating engineers.  The scheme is currently at the conceptual stage following its announcement last November by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). 

RoofCERT is a four year accreditation programme that is being jointly funded by the NFRC and the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) as a response to research carried out in 2016.  The plan is to transform the roofing industry here in the UK by establishing an industry-recognised accreditation standard for a roofing installer that is recognised by both consumers and the construction industry supply chain.  RoofCERT will concentrate on the following issues:

• Improving the image of roofing
• Upskilling the workforce
• Attracting new talent to the roofing industry
• Improving efficiency
• Encouraging the use of new technology in roofing

RoofCERT is a collaborative approach that will be delivered by the industry, for the industry.  Employers across the supply chain, trade associations and training providers will join forces to ensure excellence backed by an industry pledge, taking account of best practice from within and outside the roofing industry.

Support is being sought from all companies and individuals with an interest in roofing here in the UK.  If you’d like to support this initiative, it’s a simple matter of heading on over to the NFRC website to fill in an online form.  Once you’ve done so, you’ll receive a mini campaign kit which includes a certificate that can be displayed at your worksites.  By pledging your support you’ll be in good company – the following organisations have already pledged their support:

• FTMRC - the Federation of Traditional Metal Roofing
• LCA – the Lead Contractors Association (which promotes quality standards in working with lead sheet)
• LRWA – the Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association
• MCA – the Mastic Asphalt Association
• NFRC – National Federation of Roofing Contractors
• SPRA – the Single Ply Roofing Association

The aim of RoofCERT is to ensure the sustainability of the industry by promoting roofing as a progressive and attractive career option to young adults considering their career choices.  This is vital for our sector which is facing an ageing workforce combined with the structural challenges that limit professionalism and a lack of career paths.  RoofCERT will also recognise the valued skills and experience of existing roofing contractors.

The roofing industry sometimes suffers from poor reputation with the general public, mostly due to some of the horror stories we often see in the news about “rogue roofers” scamming residents into paying silly prices for work that is substandard or, in some cases, totally unnecessary.  These unscrupulous traders (many of whom are not actually qualified to do roofing work) attract negative publicity which affects the industry as a whole in a negative manner.

Why not find out more about RoofCERT now?  We’ll be bringing you more news on this exciting initiative as it happens so follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to speed with the new developments.