Building Products Manufacturer Supports Next Generation of Roofers

GLIDEVALE PROTECT is supporting the next generation of roofers as one of the sponsors of the Roof Slating and Tiling category at the 2025 SkillBuild competition.

Having donated roofing membrane materials during the heats and ahead of the final, the building products manufacturer is leading calls to encourage more young people to join the industry to tackle the skills gap head-on.

This year, Glidevale Protect supported all eight regional heats held at various roofing colleges across the UK in the Roof Slating and Tiling category, delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in partnership with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC).

The highest-scoring competitors from each heat are now preparing to take part in the SkillBuild National Final on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 November at Arena MK in Milton Keynes to see who will be crowned the overall winner for 2025.

John Mellor, Head of Marketing at Glidevale Protect, commented: “Encouraging young talent and helping to develop skills in roofing is absolutely vital to the future of the industry. With some roofers now nearing retirement age, unless more is done to ensure greater numbers of young people join and develop within the industry it will be a struggle to retain the specialist skills the market needs.

“We recognise the importance of initiatives like the SkillBuild competition as a way to raise the profile of the sector and support roofing professionals at the early stage of their careers so we’re proud to be a supporting sponsor this year and witness the talented roofers installing our products as part of a roof build-up.”

Supporting the Next Generation of Roofers

As part of its sponsorship, Glidevale Protect supplied VP400 Plus LR, one of its toughest vapour permeable pitched roofing underlays for use in the practical sessions at each regional heat to help competitors demonstrate essential installation skills using specialist and robust materials.

“We all need to play our part – manufacturers, contractors and housebuilders alike – to address the very real issue of the skills gap and events like the annual SkillBuild competition provide aspiring roofers with a great platform to showcase their skills, precision, and craftsmanship,” continued John. “Thanks to the CITB and NFRC for organising these successful heats and we are looking forward to seeing the finalists compete in November.”

Ben Rowlands, NFRC Slating, Tiling, and Training Technical Manager, said: “It’s great to have Glidevale Protect on board with this year’s SkillBuild competition and that competitors have the chance to work with quality products on the competition rigs.

“NFRC is always grateful to the sponsors who have generously contributed and supported the competition – without the involvement of companies such as Glidevale Protect, the competition simply couldn’t happen.”

The SkillBuild competition is recognised as the UK’s largest multi-trade competition. Bringing together the best construction trainees from across disciplines including roofing, SkillBuild is designed to nurture talent and raise standards across the construction industry.

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