There are dozens of career routes into the roofing sector. These include options as diverse as work experience, apprenticeships, internships and graduate career opportunities.

Working in roofing (as a roofing apprentices for example) can involve working outdoors in all weathers and working at height. Therefore it is understandable for parents to have some concerns. This is where working for a reputable company that follows the correct health and safety procedures is important.

Members of NFRC commit to maintaining high levels of health and safety and have to pass an inspection which checks various aspects of a business including technical competence, satisfactory public, employers’ and third party insurance cover, compliance with health and safety legislation and with the NFRC Code of Practice as well as British and European Standards. This means that our employer members take the safety of their employees seriously.

As a result, NFRC members have an accident rate that is 13 times lower than the national average.

Cowboy builders and roofers are the bane of the construction industry, impacting on the public’s views on how the sector operates. For all the talk about them, cowboy builders are in the minority—it just happens to be a minority that gets a lot of publicity.

NFRC, as the UK’s largest trade association for roofing, actively works to ensure that roofing is a skilled, professional sector within the wider construction industry. This includes working with employers to design, develop and offer good quality career opportunities.

We do not engage with contractors who do not follow our Code of Practice or perform to the high standards of excellence that the roofing sector needs.

NFRC is also dedicated to supporting to working towards a diverse and inclusive sector. You can find out more on our Diversity and Inclusion page.

The sector is full of opportunities to develop a fulfilling and lifelong career. This includes moving up the ladder into supervising and managing people, professions such as quantity surveying and project management, or even setting up as a roofing contractor, and having your company join NFRC. Roofing contractors with more than three years of experience can gain formal accreditation through the RoofCERT Roofing Accreditation scheme.

On the face of it, the roofing sector offers careers where technical and hands-on skills are more important than maths and English. However, skills in maths and English are also important.

Numeracy and literacy skills are fundamental to the work involved in the roofing sector. This does not mean writing essays about Shakespeare or doing complicated calculations for no reason. Numeracy and literacy skills are different in focus to much of the maths and English that we do at school.

Numeracy is the ability to grasp mathematical concepts and how they apply in the real world. This means using numeracy skills as part of the job. For example, a roofer often needs to provide a quote for a customer, by working out how much materials are needed to complete a roofing job, then calculating how much that will cost.

Literacy is the everyday application of English language. But literacy is more than being able to read. An employer needs their employees to be able to read, write, spell, listen and speak to a certain standard to fit appropriately with the circumstances. To give a customer the information they need, you might be required to write an email that is formal, yet friendly to the customer, or verbally update the customer in a way that is open, friendly and courteous.

The emerging picture is clear: the ability to use both numeracy and literacy in an everyday setting is important not just for work, but for the emotional, social and physical well-being of people. In a work environment, it is essential that people understand the world around them and that Maths and English are the building blocks not only for future skills and qualifications, for us to develop as people too.

If your child is still at school, encourage them to focus on maths and English—as well as any relevant qualifications they are doing that are more hands-on. This will give them the best chance of developing literacy and numeracy skills that employers will value.

If your child has left school and didn’t achieve their GCSE at grade C or Grade 4, that’s ok! They still will have the opportunity to achieving the required literacy and numeracy qualifications as part of their apprenticeship or training programme.

No matter what stage of securing a career your child is doing, it is helpful to support them with their job searching activities. Your encouragement and support will go a long way in helping them feel confident about their career choice. We have developed a job search checklist to help them on their way too.

We are keen to hear from parents and influencers and would welcome it if you would contact us at careers@nfrc.co.uk.