Nominated by their employer, The Roofing Corporation based in Caistor, Lincolnshire, four apprentices have recently been selected by Cupa Pizarras for a sponsorship.
As part of the sponsorship, Cupa Pizarras has worked with The Roofing Corporation from the beginning of 2018 to provide the apprentices with Cupa Pizarras’ natural slate for training purposes, roof slating tools, Cupa Pizarras’ branded clothing and an all-expenses paid three-day trip to the company’s headquarters in Spain.
The visit to Spain provided the apprentices with an overview of how Cupa Pizarras’ slate is quarried and produced, through a visit to one of the company’s 16 quarries, La Medua – the biggest natural slate quarry in the world. This was followed by a trip to one of Cupa Pizarras’ 22 transformation centres, where they watched the extracted pieces of slate being sawed, shaped and bevelled. In addition to this, they also got to meet the Cupa Pizarras marketing team and the sales director to get a full understanding of the company’s position and commitment to developing future apprentices.
Chris Miller, director of The Roofing Corporation, said: “It is a very important contribution to the up-skilling and training of the apprentices to know where slate comes from. The trip provided the apprentices with knowledge of how the slate is produced and the different stages of creating a roof slate. It was a fabulous educational trip.”
“I really enjoyed the trip to Spain,” said one of the apprentices. “It was interesting to see exactly where the slates originate from and how the slates were produced – I even got involved with splitting the slate myself and it’s trickier than it looks.
“It’s great to see manufacturers such as Cupa Pizarras sponsoring apprentices. If this continues and more awareness of this career path is raised, I’m sure plenty of young people would apply to do this.”
Julian Gomez, director of marketing at Cupa Pizarras, added: “We are delighted to be sponsoring The Roofing Corporation and their apprentices. As world leaders in the slate market, we have a vital role to play in supporting the future generations of roofing contractors. Ultimately, any progressions we continue to make in the production of slate won’t make any difference if there isn’t someone there with the skills to install it.
“We will always do our part to help keep the younger generation engaged in the craft and we are thrilled with the apprentices’ keen interest in the natural slate roofing industry.”
