Colleges Could Step Up with Skillbuild Alternative

COLLEGES AND ROOF TRAINING groups could hold their own roof tiling and slating competition for apprentices after the category was cut from Skillbuild 2020.

Leeds College of Building Roofing Workshop tutor, David Mallory has suggested an alternative competition to ensure this year’s apprentices don’t miss out.

The suggestion was supported by many in the roofing sector, who feel young roofers will unfairly lose out after organiser’s of Skillbuild, Worldskills, CITB and NFRC took the decision to remove roofing from this year’s event.

In response, NFRC has asked for more time to come up with an alternative solution.

Roofing dropped

At the end of February, the NFRC and CITB revealed they had agreed to drop roofing from Skillbuild this year in talks with Worldskills. This followed problems with the administration and recording of the roofing competition’s results in the 2019 contest. They concluded that after nine months they would be bringing the competition back in 2021.

The decision was taken in order to review the competition’s scoring criteria and procedures.

A joint statement from the NFRC and CITB read, “The Roof Tiling and Slating category will not take place at this year’s Skillbuild competition because the competition’s criteria and procedures are to be reviewed.  The goal will be to establish a reinvigorated competition for 2021 that will better reflect the needs of the industry and competitors.”