Product category:
Roofing
News Release from: Sandtoft Roof Tiles | Subject: Sandtoft Training Centre
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 August 2005
Sandtoft still pioneers in training
Sandtoft Training Centre is a pioneer in training within the roofing industry.
In an industry that is constantly striving to show its customers a commitment to best practice, it is good to find evidence of a company that's been dedicated to training for the last seven years When Sandtoft established its training centre at its South Yorkshire head office in 1997, it was one of the first major manufacturers to establish a dedicated centre and nearly a decade on; it's still leading the way, being the only one which offers NVQ assessment and qualifications
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 25 Jul 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Originally set up to provide the company's own staff, roofing operatives and builders merchants with the opportunity to train with roofing products and to raise awareness of good industry practices, the centre has expanded and developed apace.
In 2002 it achieved accredited status, enabling it to offer an On Site Assessment and Training (OSAT) service for Roof Slating and Tiling NVQ levels 2 and 3.
Now the company is helping train roofers from as far north as Durham in the North East right down to Staffordshire.
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Training and Assessment at the centre is co-ordinated by Kevin Taylor who acts as the trainer and internal verifier.
He has been in the business for 22 years and has extensive experience of the roofing industry.
As Kevin explained "I believe that there are a lot of people in our industry who want to train and take NVQ's but nationally there just aren't enough resources or enough choices for them.
Many are turned off by the thought of training or gaining a qualification, they associate it with paperwork and academic study, but it doesn't have to be like that.
"Sandtoft is a pioneer in training within the roofing industry offering unrivalled support for candidates right through the process.
" As with all NVQ's the assessment is done on site and then as part of the service, free training is offered to candidates who need it.
There's even a drop-in facility once a week so they can come in at short notice.
For example if the weather is bad they can give us a call and we can offer them anything from a few minutes support on their NVQ portfolio to several hours of practical training.
The feedback from roofing contractors has been very positive, which is why the business has continued to grow.
Having started with local companies, the training centre now has well over 150 registered candidates for the NVQ and numbers are growing all the time.
These range from beginners to those who have already achieved a full NVQ.
Some level 2 achievers are now going on to level 3, and are in the process of building some complex new curved rigs which they will work on in the future.
It's certainly a very exciting time for the centre.
The NVQ side is going from strength to strength with many candidates now registering via word of mouth recommendations.
Sub contractors are being pressed by the main contractors to get the qualifications and the Sandtoft Centre has become a centre of excellence.
Kevin continued: "We still want more people actually training at the centre itself.
There are reasons why people are reluctant to leave site and come and train, and as a former contractor I understand the pressures of running a business.
However, we feel that we can offer the sort of flexible on-demand training that could appeal to roofing contractors.
We have a good track record of putting specific courses on for small groups and would welcome any enquiries from people regarding training at the centre".
This year sees Sandtoft celebrate its 100th anniversary and as Sales and Marketing Director Nick Oldridge states it's a time for looking forward not back: "The Sandtoft philosophy has always been to push forward whether its innovation in products or the development of people and training has been a core principal of this.
The Sandtoft Training Centre is just one of the ways we are trying to promote good practice, innovation and technical excellence throughout the industry.".
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