MSP Sue Webber has taken time to visit a site to learn more about roofing apprenticeships and challenges faced both by employees and apprentices.
Ms Webber, a Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothian, joined Scott Miller, chair of NFRC Scotland, and his team from Compass Roofing at a residential renovation project. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party MSP saw the slating being carried out and spoke at length to the tradespeople and apprentices working on site.
The MSP has been involved in highlighting the importance of traditional construction industry skills in Scotland for many years. This includes participating at construction skills demonstrations which have included roof slating by NFRC and attending a traditional building skills roundtable meeting in the parliament earlier this year.
Following the site visit, she said: “I want to thank Compass Roofing for the opportunity to see close up how they are supporting young people to enter into careers in the construction industry. The apprentices I met made it clear to me what a difference these opportunities have given them. Traditional skills such as roofing are essential, and we need to encourage more young people to consider apprenticeships if we are to tackle head on the industry’s need for skilled labour.”
Scott Miller said: “We were very grateful for Ms Webber’s continued support to raise the profile of the many and varied careers in construction and the wider importance of the industry. Apprentices play a crucial role in the roofing industry, contributing to the growth, sustainability, and quality of the sector. Apprenticeship recruitment is essential to meet the industry’s demand for skilled labour and we need to ensure that young people are aware of the potential positive careers in the industry.”
