The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has welcomed the recommendations from the 2023 Industry Training Board (ITB) Review that calls for greater collaboration between industry and similar bodies to address critical skills shortages.
The NFRC is encouraged by the recommendation to strengthen partnerships between ITBs and trade bodies in developing industry-relevant training initiatives.
James Talman, CEO of the NFRC, said: “We hope these recommendations will enhance the already strong relationship NFRC has with the CITB.
“Our team already has direct involvement with developing industry-relevant standards and training and will continue to do so as we continue professionalising roofing.”
Considering this, the NFRC is strengthening data collection from its Members and working with the CITB to adopt best practices, enabling more informed, data-driven decision-making. This will feed into the review’s recommendation to utilise industry data to inform strategic planning.
James added: “The better our data, the better our ability to identify holes in standards and training provision. We are always working hard to understand our Members’ needs.”
NFRC recognises the importance of regional accessibility for roofing training programmes and said it is working hard to plug gaps across the UK by connecting Members with appropriate training providers and CITB training groups and welcomes the recommendation for ITBs to establish regional training centres in collaboration with trade bodies.
“Training accessibility is a key issue reported by NFRC Members across the UK. We hope to see this recommendation taken seriously going forward,” said James.
