The power of apprenticeships: Niall at Dalton Roofing

By Emma Peterson. 

Niall’s story highlights the value and importance of apprenticeships.  

Across the roofing industry, labour and skill shortages have become a pressing issue. This shortage is due to a variety of factors, including struggle to connect incoming roofers with accessible training and our existing roofing tradespeople hitting retirement age.  

In the face of this challenge, it is more important than ever to support and foster the growth of our industry through pathways like apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are something that National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has supported for years, as they directly address labour and skill shortages in the industry by connecting young people to training and growth opportunities. 

To learn more about the importance of apprenticeships, NFRC reached out to their members to hear about the young people working with them. One story that stood out was that of Niall, one of many successful apprentices who have qualified with Dalton Roofing. 

Niall started his apprenticeship when he was 17, straight out of secondary school, and it was a big change. He recalled, “It was a challenge. It was my first time working and it was very different from how school taught us. At school you have to follow a set curriculum but at work l chose to be there, and l wanted to learn about roofing. It was all focused-on roofing, which engaged me a lot more than traditional learning.” 

Today, he has no regrets about taking on that challenge. He explained:  

I am currently focusing on learning about tiling, slating and the gauges of these materials for the battens. I’m learning how to do precise cuts on these materials with hand tools. The one-to-one help that we receive on the rigs at the yard and on-site experience really helps and works well alongside my college learning. Every day I feel more and more confident. After I have finished my apprenticeship, I want to keep on learning about the roofing industry and keep on practicing my skills. 

As for the team at Dalton, they are thrilled to watch Niall and their other apprentice grow into fully-fledged tradespeople. As they told NFRC: 

Niall is one of two apprentices working at Leeds College of Building. We were delighted to receive extremely positive feedback on the apprentices' progress from their tutors...As a business, we are incredibly pleased and proud of our apprentices. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and genuine willingness to learn stand out, and they continue to show a strong commitment to developing their skills and progressing within the roofing industry. 

Learn more about how apprenticeships help the roofing industry grow!