Proctor Group supports construction academy training apprentice roofers

A collaboration between Proctor Group and one of the north-east’s leading independent training providers is helping to share knowledge about up-to-date roofing products and practices.

Optimum Skills Ltd, based in Gateshead, operates three construction academies training young people in slating, tiling and flat roofing (as well as bricklaying, joinery and groundworks). They work with all major roofing contractors in the north-east, helping apprentices through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programmes.

Collaboration with construction product manufacturers is a unique aspect of their approach. Proctor Group is working with Optimum Skills on an ongoing basis, donating rolls of their BBA-certified air permeable underlay, Proctor Air®, and delivering a mix of theory and practical sessions to the apprentice intake.

“As an independent training provider, we have the flexibility to offer something different,” said Rachel Armstrong, Partnerships Manager at Optimum Skills. “The number of apprentices in pitched roofing is so high, and we really appreciate the willingness of companies like Proctor Group to support and celebrate what we’re doing.”

Giving apprentice roofers the chance to get hands on with the latest products is essential to developing their knowledge, and giving them the chance to share what they learn with their colleagues on site.

“I’m very against ‘death by PowerPoint’!” said James Brown, Roofing Tutor at Optimum Skills, who is developing the course. “We’re tradespeople, we want to be hands on. When Proctor Group demonstrate the bubbler that shows how air passes through the Proctor Air underlay, you see faces light up.”

Keira Proctor, Managing Director at Proctor Group, commented: “We’re delighted to support Optimum Skills in their mission and looking forward to delivering more sessions about physics in roofs. As a fourth-generation family business, nobody understands better than Proctor Group the importance of passing on knowledge and skills to the construction professionals of the future.”