Roofing apprentices say mentor support is key to building confidence in the trade
Roofing apprentices are opening up about the role that mentor support plays in building their confidence, enhancing their skills, and helping them progress within the trade. The insight comes from applications submitted to the 2026 BMI UK & Ireland Apprentice of the Year competition, which this year received a record number of entries from apprentices. Among the 68 applicants across pitched and flat roofing categories, more than two-thirds (68%) said they would first turn to a mentor, manager or experienced colleague when faced with a challenge on site, highlighting the importance of day-to-day support in helping apprentices develop both technically and professionally. “I feel very confident and comfortable asking the people I work with,” one applicant shared, emphasising the vital role mentors play in apprenticeships. “I always ask my manager or others on site for help.” Another apprentice added: “I feel lucky, my boss is always happy to show me what to do and teach me new things. I know I can always ask for help in my company.” The findings suggest that apprentices prefer learning the trade through peer-to-peer interactions, alongside formal training routes, particularly when developing confidence on-site and learning to handle real-world challenges. When peer support is unavailable, 20% of applicants indicated they would turn to free online resources, including Instagram, YouTube, and manufacturer-led content to learn from other skilled professionals. This suggests that practical learning, whether in person or online, is still highly valued in the trade, especially given the ongoing concerns about skills shortages. “As a young person, I use YouTube to see if I can gain any knowledge there,” explained one apprentice. The findings come at a time when the roofing industry continues to face significant recruitment and retention challenges. According to the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC), the UK will need an additional 3,800 roofers by 2029. However, current training routes are projected to deliver only 1,550, resulting in a shortfall of over half. Completion rates further compound this issue. The latest ‘Apprenticeship Gap Report’ reveals that the completion rate for roofing apprenticeships is just 28%, the lowest among construction trades, meaning nearly three in four roofing apprentices do not finish their training. Several applicants also expressed ambitions to progress into leadership positions or eventually establish their own roofing business, reflecting the long-term career aspirations emerging across this year’s cohort. The findings suggest strong workplace support and positive site cultures could play an important role in supporting these ambitions and improving retention within the industry. Stuart Farnell, Lead Technical Trainer at BMI Academy, said: “What stands out from this year’s applications is how much apprentices value having experienced people around them who are willing to support, teach and share their knowledge on site. “Technical training is essential, but confidence, encouragement and practical guidance also play a huge role in helping apprentices develop successful long-term careers in roofing. Creating supportive environments where people feel able to ask questions and continue learning is incredibly important for the future of the industry.” The final of the Apprentice of the Year competition will be held on July 22nd and 23rd, 2026, at the BMI Academy in Gloucestershire. To find out more about the event or training courses provided by the academy, visit: https://www.bmigroup.com/uk/bmi-academy/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=Release&utm_campaign=Insights&utm_id=insights Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rocklands Youth Football Club wins Huws Gray’s inaugural Pitch in competition
Huws Gray, a leading national building materials supplier, providing end-to-end solutions to tradespeople and the DIY market, is pleased to unveil Rocklands Youth FC as the winner of its inaugural Pitch in competition, securing £5,000 worth of building materials to help transform the club’s facilities and create a more inclusive environment for players, volunteers and the wider community With grassroots football playing a vital role in bringing people together, improving wellbeing and creating inclusive spaces for local communities, Huws Gray launched Pitch in to support these community hubs that face growing financial pressures and struggling with outdated or inadequate facilities. Based in Norfolk, Rocklands Youth FC supports 10 teams from Under 7s through to Under 15s, including two female teams, and is run by 24 dedicated volunteers. The club plans to use the building materials donation to refurbish its clubhouse and bathroom facilities, ensuring it is inclusive and accessible for all players, volunteers, families and visitors. The improvements will help the club meet growing demand, support participation across all age groups and provide a welcoming community hub for local residents, reflecting Huws Gray’s commitment to giving back to its communities and relating to its sponsorship of the Professional Game Match Officials. Daksh Gupta, CEO of Huws Gray, commented: “Grassroots football clubs play a vital role in bringing communities together, creating opportunities for young people and providing welcoming spaces for families and volunteers. Clubs are under increased financial pressure, leaving essential repairs unresolved. Pitch In strives to help create safe spaces for all who use a club’s facilities, supporting our local communities and providing more opportunities for young people to stay active and connect with one another. Rocklands Youth FC impressed us with its commitment to inclusivity, the impact it has on its local community and its clear vision for how these improvements will benefit players for years to come. We’re delighted to support the club through Pitch in and look forward to seeing the transformation take shape.” Rhys Verney, Chairman of Rocklands Youth FC, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as the winner of Huws Gray’s Pitch in competition. It’s an excellent initiative that recognises the important role grassroots football clubs play in their local communities and provides practical support where it can make a real difference. Providing invaluable help to Rocklands, the building materials will help us improve our clubhouse and facilities, benefiting our players, volunteers, families and visitors, while helping us continue to grow and provide opportunities for young people in our community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
CPI Euromix is celebrating the world’s biggest football tournament
Stuart Russell, Head of Commercial at CPI Euromix is celebrating the world’s biggest football tournament with a reminder of CPI’s stadia project portfolio… At CPI, we have a proud history of supplying our high-quality mortar for buildings varying in stature and purpose. And as sports fans across the globe eagerly await the start of the tournament, we are pleased to say that our project portfolio includes high-profile UK football stadia and associated infrastructure. Football grounds matter. They are places of worship for millions of followers of the national game. In such places dreams are made, friendships are built, and families gather to enjoy a shared passion that is often handed down through the generations. Football stadia are not just bedecked in the colours of the occupant team; they are enveloped in history. The mere glimpse of a ground’s entrance or an iconic stand can be enough to stir memories of glories past – and moments not-so salubrious – in hardened fans. Foundational passion At many larger stadia, the bond between supporters and their team is literally etched into the foundations. In a dedicated area of the ground, fans can buy a brick and have it display their name or that of a loved one, as part of a commemorative wall portraying the particulars of hundreds, and sometimes, thousands of like-minded souls who want their commitment to their beloved club to be known for as long as time and the structure’s wellbeing allows. Football stadia in the higher echelons of the English game have undergone a huge transformation in the past couple of decades. No longer the crumbling concrete edifices of yore, England is now home to some of the best-equipped and most attractive grounds in Europe and the world; grounds that offer unprecedented safety and an unforgettable matchday experience for home fans and visiting supporters alike. Supporting structural evolution It’s therefore gratifying that CPI should have played a part in the structural revolution of a number of top-tier English football grounds. At Anfield, home of six-time Champions League winners Liverpool, our natural and coloured mortars were respectively used for the blockwork and external work of the club’s new main stand. With circa 8,500 seats, the facility is one of the largest all-seater single stands in Europe, increasing Anfield’s capacity to 54,000. Our natural-coloured mortar was also selected for the building of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Opened in 2006, the 60,000 north London venue replaced the club’s former home, Highbury, less than a mile away. It means on matchdays, fans can take a short walk through time to arrive at their current abode. Another Premier League stadium to benefit from our pioneering products was Stamford Bridge, the west London home of Chelsea FC. We supplied brickwork contractor, Irvine-Whitlock, with silos of dry-mixed mortar for a redevelopment that included Chelsa Village, the stadium’s commercial element comprising a shop, bars, a music venue, a hotel and restaurant. Football success is largely earned on the training ground. It is also where the football stars of tomorrow are born. For the building of Manchester City’s world-class training facility, CPI supplied natural and coloured mortar, as well as specialist white lime mortar. The state-of-the-art academy is not only a schooling ground for future City professionals; the venue’s community function supports the development of elite athletes and local students. In Manchester’s ‘other half’, CPI provided the mortar for an upgrade to Manchester United’s ‘Carrington’ training ground. The £25m renovation introduced a new medical and sports science facility to the site where the likes of David Beckham and Gary Neville plied their trade during ‘the Reds’ last golden era of success. Even non-football fans will – perhaps grudgingly – understand why the sport and its storied stadia mean so much to fans whose happy space for the next month or so will be in front of the TV being sure not to miss every last kick, save, tackle and dive of this year’s World Cup. Let’s hope the beautiful game lives up to its reputation, and at least one of the two home nations taking part gives us a thrill along the way. If not, then let us take comfort in the fact that even if football doesn’t come home (again), the UK will still be home to some of the world’s best stadia, which lest we forget, contain some world-class mortar. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Managing director of third-generation family electrical firm is elected President of Scotland’s largest construction trade association
Darren Crockett, boss of RAS Crockett and Partners in Dundee, says he is ‘excited and honoured’ to take over at campaigning industry body Scotland’s largest trade construction association, SELECT has elected the managing director of a third-generation Dundee electrical company as its 68th President. Darren Crockett is Managing Director of RAS Crockett and Partners, a family firm of electrical engineers which has been operating successfully in the city since 1964. The businessman was elected at the SELECT AGM in the DoubleTree by Hilton Queensferry last week (June 4) and replaces Mike Stark, who will become Immediate Past President after two years in the position. David Harris, MD of Glasgow-based DMH Electrical Services, was elected SELECT Vice President at the same event, with Mike Campbell, Apprenticeship Programme Manager at Inverness-based RSE, the association’s new Depute Vice President. Speaking in a new video to mark his election, Darren said: “I’m extremely honoured and excited to be taking over as the new President of SELECT and it’s a privilege to be representing the Members of this historic and well-respected association. “It’s a great honour to take up this role at a time when SELECT is campaigning on a number of vitally important issues for the electrotechnical industry and wider construction sector. “I’m now looking forward to raising awareness of regulation and promoting the importance of protection of title for the electrical industry, while at the same time helping to lobby the Scottish Government to secure more funding for apprenticeships.” As a nine-strong family business, RAS Crockett, has built a strong reputation in Dundee and won Best Small Contractor at the SELECT Awards in Glasgow in 2014. The thriving family business was founded by Darren’s grandfather, Bert – a Grade One football referee – who passed it to son Sinclair in 1974 when he retired. Sinclair’s son Darren joined the company when he left school in 1986 and served as Chair of the SELECT Tayside Branch in 2013 before becoming Depute Vice President of the association in 2020 and Vice President in June 2024. Darren, whose wife, Gill, sons Liam and Kieran and uncle Paul also work in the business, said: “It’s been a great privilege to work alongside outgoing President Mike Stark during my time as Vice President. “I’d like to thank him for the invaluable insights and knowledge that he’s passed on to me and which I hope to use to equally good effect throughout my Presidency.” RAS Crockett has been a member of SELECT for all 62 years of its existence and Darren says the association has provided invaluable technical, employment, health and safety and training support down the decades. He added: “Being a Member of SELECT means we have business credibility, guaranteed customer confidence and vital access to industry experts whenever we need it.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Crewe’s £1.3bn Super Hospital Takes Major Step Forward
Plans for the £1.3bn transformation of Leighton Hospital in Crewe have received planning approval, marking a significant milestone for one of the flagship projects within the Government’s New Hospital Programme. The approval paves the way for the delivery of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility that will replace much of the existing hospital estate and provide modern, purpose-built facilities designed to meet the evolving needs of patients, staff and the wider community for decades to come. Submitted by Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the hybrid planning application proposes the creation of a 1.2 million sq ft hospital campus, with the majority of the new development situated to the north of the current Leighton Hospital site. The project has been accelerated following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) throughout significant areas of the existing hospital. Around 80% of the 1970s-built estate has been identified as being affected, increasing the urgency to replace ageing infrastructure with a more resilient and future-ready healthcare environment. The new development is expected to be delivered by the Integrated Health Projects (IHP) joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine and VINCI Building. The partnership is poised to construct the six-storey main hospital building alongside a range of supporting healthcare facilities. These include a dedicated ambulatory cancer care centre, a central sterile services department, an energy centre, associated plant buildings and a 1,000-space multi-storey car park designed to support the needs of patients, visitors and staff. The project will now move into its next phase, with detailed design work and business case approvals progressing ahead of the procurement of major supply chain packages. A key aspect of the scheme is its adoption of the NHS’s standardised Hospital 2.0 approach. The model has been developed to improve efficiency across the New Hospital Programme by accelerating delivery, reducing costs and creating a more consistent approach to the design and construction of healthcare facilities nationwide. While the majority of the existing estate will eventually be replaced, several buildings located around the perimeter of the site are set to be retained and repurposed. Together providing approximately 96,840 sq ft of accommodation, these facilities include the current emergency department, audiology and ENT services, satellite outpatient facilities and the Ward 27 and Ward 28 buildings. The wider development strategy also incorporates substantial enabling and infrastructure works. Full planning permission has been granted for the demolition of the South Cheshire Building and its temporary conversion into a 283-space car park to support construction activities during the early phases of the project. In addition, outline approval has been secured for the demolition of most of the remaining hospital estate, the construction of new healthcare facilities, the creation of a dedicated emergency vehicle access route from Middlewich Road and a new servicing entrance from Flowers Lane. Extensive landscaping proposals also form part of the wider masterplan, helping to create a more accessible and welcoming environment for patients, staff and visitors. The project team assembled to deliver the ambitious scheme includes WSP and Ryder Architecture, supported by Gleeds, WT Partnership, Mott MacDonald, Greengage and PwC. Construction is currently expected to commence in 2027, with the new hospital scheduled to become operational by 2032. Once services have transferred into the new facilities, demolition of the remaining older buildings will begin, with the final phases of the redevelopment anticipated to conclude in 2034. As one of the first schemes within the Government’s New Hospital Programme to secure planning approval and move towards delivery, the Leighton Hospital redevelopment represents a major investment in the future of healthcare infrastructure. Beyond replacing outdated facilities, the project promises to provide a modern hospital environment designed around efficiency, patient care and long-term resilience, ensuring the people of Mid Cheshire have access to high-quality healthcare services for generations to come. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Adaston and Synergize secure places on £695m national building safety framework
Yorkshire-based specialists Adaston and Synergize have both secured places on the £695m Procure Plus Framework. Harrogate-headquartered Adaston has been appointed to Lot 4 – Fire Precaution and Compartmentation Works National, while Synergize has secured a place on Lot 11 – External Fabric Improvements to Medium and High Rise Building. Both lots are part of the “Framework for Building Safety and Compliance Works, and Associated Consultancy Services”. The framework provides public sector organisations and housing providers with a compliant route to market for specialist building safety and refurbishment works, supporting faster procurement and access to pre-vetted contractors. Being part of the framework strengthens their ability to deliver compliant fire safety and building improvement projects for public sector clients across the UK. The dual appointment creates a unique combined offering across internal and external building safety works, enabling the two Yorkshire firms to support clients with integrated solutions spanning passive fire protection, fire doors, compartmentation, façade remediation and wider building modernisation works. Paul Ward, Acting Managing Director of Adaston, said: “Being appointed to the Procure Plus framework is an important strategic milestone for Adaston and reinforces our position as a trusted specialist in passive fire protection and compartmentation works. “Frameworks such as Procure Plus provide public sector clients with confidence that they are working with competent, compliant contractors who understand the complexities of modern building safety requirements. “This appointment also creates exciting opportunities to collaborate alongside Synergize to provide clients with a more holistic approach to fire safety and building compliance projects.” Mark Loftus, Managing Director of Synergize, said: “Securing a place on the Procure Plus framework is a significant achievement for Synergize and reflects the strength of our expertise in external building improvements and remediation works. “As demand continues to grow for specialist high-rise compliance and refurbishment solutions, frameworks like this are becoming increasingly important in helping housing providers and public sector organisations deliver projects efficiently and compliantly. “Together with Adaston, we can now offer a genuinely complementary service that addresses both the internal and external aspects of building safety and modernisation.” Procure Plus supports social housing providers and public sector bodies with compliant procurement solutions for building maintenance, compliance and capital works projects. The framework appointment comes amid continued growth for both businesses as demand increases for specialist remediation, compliance and refurbishment expertise following evolving building safety legislation and regulatory reform. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals