Industry Collaborates to Inspire Next Generation of Roofing Professionals

Denise Cherry, YIRTG Officer Aiming to change how young people view roofing and construction careers, the Proud to Promote Roofing campaign aims to raise the industry’s profile through interactive activities, practical challenges and creative learning experiences. With the help of industry partners, colleges, and training organisations, the campaign has already reached thousands of pupils across Yorkshire and the North East. Here, Denise Cherry, Chair of the National Roof Training Group, reflects on the history of the campaign and how it is helping to inspire the next generation to see roofing as an exciting and rewarding career path.

Eight years ago, the Yorkshire Independent Roof Training Group (YIRTG) received funding from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to develop resources and deliver activities designed to introduce young people to roofing and construction careers from an early age.

At the time, there was very little aimed specifically at promoting opportunities within the roofing industry to primary and secondary school students. Careers education often focused on more visible professions, while practical trades and specialist skills were overlooked.

Proud to Promote Roofing

One of the biggest influences on YIRTG’s approach came from attending careers events. A significant early event that stands out, is when I met Nigel Dyer from wienerberger, and master stone carver Ian Masterson. Their interactive sessions with young people genuinely set a gold standard for engagement. They understood that if you want children and young people to remember an experience, you have to let them build, create, question and participate.

With support from wienerberger, Nigel designed and prepared a miniature roofing rig which became the centrepiece of many of our activities. He also provided a 3D print file for miniature roof tiles, which were professionally printed at a cost of almost £1,000. At the time it felt like a huge investment, but over the following years that rig travelled to careers fairs, schools, construction events and community sessions across the region, helping thousands of young people engage with roofing in a practical and memorable way.

As the activities developed, we also introduced brick and foam construction challenges, which allowed younger pupils to safely explore bonding patterns, stability, teamwork and problem solving. These larger activities proved incredibly popular, particularly in school halls and outdoor sessions where groups of pupils could work together to build structures and understand the principles behind construction.

Through my work with companies across Yorkshire, I was also fortunate to meet Joanne Johnson, wife of Ben Hulme, a roofing business owner, who I had previously worked with on his roofing training and later his own journey into becoming a trainer and assessor. Ben shared my passion for supporting and inspiring young people into the industry, but Joanne brought something equally important to the project — the ability to turn ideas into reality.

Where I could often see the concept, Joanne could build it. She has an incredible talent for DIY, creating engaging activities and finding ways to improve ideas so they work better for young people. Many of the resources and interactive activities we developed over the years were strengthened by Joanne’s creativity, practicality, and attention to detail.

Turning Ideas into Reality

Working together allowed us to expand far beyond the original roofing rig. Activities became more hands-on, more visual and more accessible to younger age groups, helping children understand not only roofing, but wider construction principles including structure, strength, collaboration and problem solving.

wienerberger has continued to support these activities by providing more 3D tiles which allows us to share rigs with others spreading the message, including Lesley Hughes of the Wales National Roof Training Group and Ryan Mitchell of Samuel Moore Roofing.

Our resources are now second to none. Our roofing rigs are lightweight, portable, and range from the original straight bond interlocking tile rig, to include large format tiles, slates and plain tile rigs. We have also developed educational jigsaws covering health and safety topics and roofing terminology, all supported by question sets tailored to different age groups.

The development of these resources has also been supported by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors Yorkshire and North East Counties, whose encouragement and backing has helped us continue expanding the programme.

A recent addition to our activities has been construction challenges using stretchy bendy sticks and magnetic balls. These have allowed us to deliver engaging STEM and construction-based activities directly within classrooms where some of our other equipment and activities are simply too large and are better suited to school halls or outdoor environments.

These activities help young people explore important construction concepts such as load-bearing, bracing, frames, communication and design in a fun and accessible way.

Recent research from the Gatsby Foundation and the Careers and Enterprise Company confirms that career inspiration needs to start early. By the time many young people reach secondary school, they may already have formed fixed ideas about which careers are “for them”. Giving children positive, hands-on experiences at a younger age helps broaden horizons and challenge outdated perceptions about construction careers.

Expanded Reach                                    

We have now reached an exciting new stage in our work where we are assisting Leeds College of Building and the Yorkshire Construction Technical Excellence College (CTEC) with their objectives to engage with and deliver activities for primary schools, secondary schools and NEET learners.

In the early months of 2026, we delivered 17 sessions to over 500 primary school pupils across West Yorkshire, supported five careers’ events engaging with 300 students, and our first NEET course is due to begin in June.

The roofing industry has outstanding career opportunities to offer — skilled trades, technical roles, heritage crafts, surveying, design, sustainability and management pathways — but we have to continue finding creative ways to make those opportunities visible and accessible to young people.

We are now looking to expand these activities across the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber and are keen to work with new partners, schools, colleges, employers and industry friends who share our passion for supporting the next generation.

Sometimes a miniature roofing rig can start a much bigger conversation about the future.

>> Read more about skills & training in the news