Burton firm teams up to raise the roof on industry skills

Leading roof tile manufacturer Russell Roof Tile, who’s headquarters are in Burton, is supporting the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC), the UK's largest independent provider of warranty and insurance for new-build homes, in its ambition to address skills shortages within construction.

The NHBC is helping to tackle the UK’s house-building skills shortage with a £100 million investment in a national network of 12 multi-skill training hubs. These facilities will train 3,000 apprentices each year in key trades such as bricklaying, groundworks and site carpentry. Each hub will deliver immersive, hands-on learning in real-life conditions, ensuring apprentices are site-ready from day one.

To support this, Russell Roof Tiles' expert in-house technical team is providing tailored training covering roof tile fixings, accessories, and site compliance to NHBC at sessions in England and Scotland over the next three months.

The new initiative is headed up by Technical Director Mark Parsons, who has worked closely with NHBC for many years, he comments: “We’re delighted to be supporting NHBC and its crucial work in investment in skills and training. We are pleased to be providing expert tuition on installing pitched roof tiles as well as dry fixing systems.”

This guidance builds on Russell Roof Tiles’ recent investment in skills training, marked by the launch of its first Training & Innovation Hub on Wetmore Lane in Burton on Trent. The new £100,000 facility provides a site for research and development for the company’s new product development program. Evaluating and enhancing technical aspects of roofing solutions is key and has been fundamental to its success.

The new hub houses the firm’s growing technical team and features six roof rigs units. The custom-made rigs enable course delegates to experience 'hands-on' practical sessions with Russell Roof Tiles’ range of tiles and fittings, along with dry fix accessories.

Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent concrete roof tile manufacturer supplying products for national housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces hundreds of thousands of tiles and related fittings and accessories every week that are used on pitched roofs across the UK.