A new route to RoofCERT accreditation for experienced roofing operatives working in the roof tiling discipline has shown early signs of success through initial piloting.
The Experienced Worker Route (EWR) has been developed by RoofCERT to support the industry in recognising the competency of operatives with more than five years’ experience, as well as helping them to obtain a blue CSCS skills card.
The initial pilots, involving a comprehensive one-day practical assessment, took place in June and July at the Centre of Roofing Excellence (CoRE) in Hereford to prove the concept of the route. Selected operatives from McDonnell-Price Roofing Contractors went through the pilot assessments as part of RoofCERT’s homebuilding pilot with Redrow Homes.
The assessments which tested the operatives core competencies in the roof tiling discipline were supervised by Mr Andy Rowlands a qualified tutor and assessor, and overseen by the NFRC Technical and Training Team. Prior to the assessment, candidates were required to have completed a profiling process and a professional discussion with an independent assessor. After each pilot, the process was analysed and refined by the NFRC Technical and Training team.
Those candidates that did not pass the assessment received one-to-one feedback as well as a report upon completion. RoofCERT plans to use the data gathered from the pilots, and the knowledge testing process, to develop Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and short duration courses where evidence suggests upskilling is required.
The RoofCERT Experienced Worker Route has been developed in line with the National Occupational Standard (NOS) for roof tiling and has received approval from CITB’s Standard Setting Body (SSB) and Quality Assurance Department. As a result, it has been accepted by CSCS as an equivalent to a vocational achievement for the purposes of accessing a blue skills card. This comes ahead of the removal of the current CSCS Industry Accreditation card in 2024.
RoofCERT has initial funding from CITB to accredit 100 people through this route, and any operatives or roofing contractors looking to take one of these places are encouraged to contact the RoofCERT team. RoofCERT plans to work with industry partners to develop similar routes for other roofing disciplines in the future and look at sourcing funding and grants to support the route.
Commenting on the early signs of success from the pilots, Richard Miller, RoofCERT’s Head of Quality and Compliance, said:
“We know that a large proportion of roofing operatives are very experienced but do not have a formal vocational qualification. That is why we have developed the Experienced Worker Route to give these skilled roofers an alternative way to achieve RoofCERT accreditation and prove continued competency through a revalidation process. Crucially, the route will allow these operatives to obtain a blue skilled CSCS card.
“We are pleased with the results of these initial pilot assessments, which provided crucial data and feedback to help us to refine and improve the route before scaling it up across the industry and developing it across other disciplines. We will continue with a number of further pilots to help us further fine-tune this route to ensure it is robust and meets the future needs of the industry.
“These early pilots would not have been possible without the support and generosity of a few key individuals and organisations. I would like to thank, in particular, Andy Rowlands and the CoRE training centre, Alastair Blant at McDonnell Price, for providing operatives for the assessments, the operatives themselves for demonstrating professionalism throughout the process, as well as Marley, Hambleside Danelaw and Burtons Roofing Supplies for providing materials.”
