Day 2 of BMI Academy’s National Apprenticeship Week College Tour

The 16th annual National Apprenticeship Week officially started yesterday. The week-long celebration showcases the contributions that apprenticeships make to the UK’s economy and wider society. As a part of BMI’s continued support to the development of young roofers, members of the BMI Academy team are touring across the UK to visit colleges and training centres throughout the week, talking to tutors and students about everything from roofing’s most technical challenges to new learnings and technologies.

After visits to both Bolton and  South Devon College on Friday, on Monday Simon Dixon, Technical Training Manager at BMI Academy, made the first of his six college visits by starting up North at Edinburgh College. 

Visiting Edinburgh College

The students and tutors in Edinburgh were in for a real treat, as Simon delivered an exclusive CPD session on pitched roofing. In this session, he spoke to the tiling and slating students about best practice installation and covered the entire portfolio of BMI Redland’s tile solutions. 

Simon was really keen to learn from the apprentices  and gather their experiences. Speaking to  David Penney and Luke Cosgrove, he enquired about their apprenticeships and this year’s BMI Apprentice of the Year competition.

“Being able to learn alongside a group of people is really helpful. I really enjoy that we all get to work in one big group and get to know each other as we get more experience.”
Luke Cosgrove, Tiling and Slating Student at Edinburgh College

"I will be entering BMI’s Apprentice of the Year competition; I know it will be a great opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills too.”
David Penney, Tiling and Slating Student at Edinburgh College

Both David and Luke expressed their interest in entering BMI’s Apprentice of the Year competition which  has been running since 2017 and is an integral part of BMI’s commitment to supporting roofers at all levels of their careers. Designed to support the future of the roofing industry, the competition seeks the UK’s most promising apprentices and future leaders in the sector.

Taking a holistic approach to roofing, BMI Apprentice of the Year challenges finalists and considers their performance and improvement over the course of the two-day event. Additionally, finalists receive on-going support and coaching on a wide variety of topics, from presentation skills and social media for business, to estimating and making technical evaluations.

Simon got a chance to sit down with Paul Manderson, Head Roofing Lecturer at Edinburgh College, to discuss the importance of BMI’s efforts to support colleges and training centres, and the impact the Apprentice of the Year competition has on the landscape of the UK’s roofing apprentices. 

“BMI’s continued support is excellent; we almost exclusively use BMI tiles here when it comes to teaching. And it’s good for the students, too, as by working with just the one materials provider they can get familiar with the basics of roofing much quicker.

“I think the competition is a great way for the students to better themselves, and to see that there are other sides to roofing than just the tools. It gives them the opportunity to work on many different skills – presenting, for example. And they may find that they enjoy that side of roofing a lot more.”
Paul Manderson, Head Roofing Lecturer at Edinburgh College

Edinburgh College was only the third stop of BMI Academy’s tour, with Simon continuing his tour in Scotland to visit Dundee and Angus College, while Michael McHugh, Technical Trainer Pitched Roofing at BMI Academy, takes a trip to Construction College Midlands in Kings Norton, Birmingham. Be sure to keep an eye out for updates on our social channels throughout the week for more live content from our BMI Academy team.