ROOFING solutions firm PermaRoof Commercial, part of PermaGroup, has launched its inaugural registered installer card, which tracks the level of training an installer has received, as part of its pledge to support the industry skills gap.

As part of the specification process, contractors are required to provide proof of training. PermaRoof Commercial’s brand-new cards give clients immediate assurance as to an installer’s expertise, offering peace of mind in knowing the contractor is qualified for the project.

PermaRoof Registered Installers (PRIs) are categorised into three levels: bronze, silver and gold, dependent on the training course they’ve undertaken and previous experience as a PRI.

Sunny Lotay, national commercial manager for PermaGroup Commercial said: “We’re proud to have introduced the PRI cards, alongside our training courses, to highlight the competency of our installers. It’s essential that projects are carried out by qualified contractors and our new system ensures that PermaGroup and the client can guarantee a quality output on every project.”

Led by in-house technical trainers at PermaGroup’s training facility in Alfreton, contractors can now undertake courses on several products, such as RubberTop EPDM, RubberGard EPDM and PermaRoof 500, and expect to progress to the next level of the three-tier system approximately every 12 months.

Sunny added: “We have set out criteria that monitors the level a contractor is operating at, and whether they can progress to silver or gold status, including a minimum number of projects completed, and the square footage of those projects being above a certain size. On each project undertaken by a PRI, we provide full on-site and technical support that, in turn, aids contractors in their progression through the training levels.”

Since introducing the scheme this October PermaRoof Commercial has trained and approved 23 individuals for its PRI cards, with demand for training courses at an all-time high due to the ongoing shortage of skilled workers in the industry.

Sunny added: “With a reduced workforce across the country due to the ongoing crisis, it’s never been more important to equip those in the industry with all-important sector skills, providing projects across the country with a reliable and effective workforce when they need it most.

“An example of this is one of our ongoing projects in York where one of our PRIs, Modern Roofs, is working on-site at Clifford Tower. Since construction started earlier this month, three more individuals have undertaken our Firestone RubberGard training course and received their PRI cards at the recommendation of Firestone trainer, John Turner.

“It’s truly rewarding to see the positive impact our training scheme is having in a practical setting, and we look forward to supporting many more organisations in up-skilling their employees.”

Find out more about PermaRoof Commercial Roofing here or call 01773 608839.

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