Bridgend College Launches First Roofing Apprenticeships in South Wales

Bridgend College has launched the first college-based Level 2 apprenticeship in Roof Slating at Tiling in South Wales.

The first cohort of up to 12 roofing apprentices will start their training in March 2026, attending the Persimmon Academy in Llanilid, Pontyclun. There they will receive classroom-based learning and outdoor, practical training from an experienced CITB roofing tutor.

Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government attended a launch event at Bridgend College on 5^th February.

Coming from a family who worked in the trades, including her uncle who was a roofer, Jayne Bryant welcomed the new training facility for roofing firms in the area.

“The roofing industry is absolutely crucial for the region’s economy. We are hitting our target to build 20,000 homes in the social sector, as well as private homes, and they depend on apprenticeships like these, leading to good quality jobs in construction. We can have as many targets as we want but if we haven’t got the workforce to deliver it, it won’t happen.”

Matthew Rees, COO at Bridgend College commented: “We know there are skills shortages in industry – that’s why it so exciting that this new apprenticeship is being offered here at Bridgend College. It’s taken a joint effort to get it up and running with CITB and we’re looking foward to eventually expanding provision.”

Local Training

The first cohort includes apprentices employed by Greg Brett, director of Treforest Tiling Ltd and son, Luke Brett, Marco Camilleri, director of M Camilleri & Sons Roofing (South West) and Alex Baul of A Baul Roofing Contractors Ltd.

Greg Brett said, “Up until now, roofing companies in South Wales have been forced to send their apprentices to England, to Walsall College. This involves lots of additional travel and expense for our apprentices and is a real barrier to training.

“So it’s very good news to see the start of an apprenticeship here at Bridgend College. We just need the foundation course to the training to be offered at the micro sites in the region feeding into the college, so that they are really accessible to our new recruits into roofing.

“We do a lot of work for housing developers, whereas a company like Camilleri’s delivers larger projects such as the roofs of the Senedd buildings, but we all need the same core skills to be covered in our apprentices’ foundational training.”

Material Donations

Robert Clover, Head of Employer Partnerships at Bridgend College expressed his gratitude for the donation of clay plain tiles already received and the College is now looking for additional support in the form of industry donations of materials.

He said, “The roofing industry is crucial to the economy in this region. We want to create strong relationships with employers and industry. We depend on the generosity of materials suppliers and look forward to working collaboratively with them.”

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