March 2018

“I force them to use
hand cutters rather
than the petrol ones
they use on site.
At first, they moan
and groan”
two products are fixed in the same way, so they
must follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
All the apprentices will be at different stages of
different projects, depending on their skill level,
their previous experience and their level of
motivation. In any group, there will be the full
spectrum of commitment from those that are
eager to learn as much as possible, to those that
wish they weren’t there at all. For those that are
keen and finish more quickly, I give them extra
projects to challenge them and keep them
interested.
Every year we put our most talented apprentices
forward to compete in the SkillBuild competition.
Last year we had two brothers winning gold and
bronze in the finals in Birmingham, which was a
proud moment for the College.
I was also proud when one of my students was
one of ten finalists in Redland’s Apprentice of the
Year Competition last year. This is a bit different
from SkillBuild in that the apprentices have to
submit a written entry and the two-day
competition involves a range of activities, not just
practical roofing skills.
At the college, the help and support we receive
from Redland is hugely appreciated. The donation
of materials, for example, enables the trainees to
not only encounter new and varied products and
materials, but also the chance to experience new
installation techniques.
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is
seeing the apprentices master new skills. For
instance, I force them to use hand cutters rather
than the petrol ones they use on site. At first, they
moan and groan because they are more difficult
to use, but by the middle of a valley they are
getting it right. It’s great to
see the satisfaction on
their faces.
We are lucky to
have really good
workshop
facilities at the
Hunslet
Campus. It was
purpose-built two
years ago and
there’s a second
building under
construction next door. The
College hopes to secure a third plot
adjacent to that which will bring all our three
campuses into one location.
“When students are
enthusiastic, my job is
easy, but as a lecturer
you have to appreciate
that some of students
will be challenging”
13:00: In the afternoon, we may continue in the
workshop or have sessions in the classroom.
Before we start a project in the workshop, I like to
give the apprentices an overview of what we will
be doing. They may only have worked with one
manufacturer’s systems or on one site, so they
often don’t appreciate that there are different
ways of doing things.
With any new group of students, I always put my
mobile number on the board and tell them to ring
me if they need any advice or information. I get
calls from lots of former students, years after
they’ve left college, who are on a job and need to
know how to do something. I’m always happy to
help. One thing I always ask now, though, is that
they call during working hours. That’s because I
once received a call at 2am from a student who
had been out celebrating gaining his
qualifications who was calling to tell me how
great I was!
Contact Redland
01285 863545
www.redland.co.uk
@_Redland
When students are
enthusiastic, my job is
easy, but as a
lecturer you
have to
appreciate
that some of
the students
will be
challenging.
Sometimes they
just need someone
to listen to them.
They often don’t have any
support at home.
The best piece of advice I ever had was from a
manager and mentor during the early part of my
teaching career, Chris Ferguson, who’s now
retired. He said: “Don’t back them into a corner.
Always give them a way out”.
16:00: The end of my day. I have two daughters,
aged nine and 12, and I spend as much time as I
can with them and my wife. We do outdoor
activities like biking and camping and until
recently I’ve been volunteering with my
daughter’s scout group; first as a parent helper
then as a scout leader. My students wouldn’t be
surprised to hear that I was presented with a
certificate at the 2017 End of Year Awards for
being the scout leader most likely to say the
phrase “It’s your time you are wasting”.
I enjoyed my first career in roofing. It was all I
ever wanted to do, even when teachers tried to
discourage me because construction was only for
the “bad lads”. If I could tell my younger self
anything, I’d want to warn myself just how hard it
was going to be. The roofing is the easy part, it’s
all the other things related to running a business,
dealing with customers and the taxman and
getting paid that’s difficult.
MARCH 2018 TC 33