BMI Coverland Roofing Academy has officially opened its doors to individuals who want to acquire the best skills that they need to pursue vibrant careers in the roofing industry.

Roofers are also enrolling their employees at the academy to attain South African Qualifications Authority-accredited qualifications. Employees who hold a qualification from BMI Coverland Roofing Academy are considered competent in their chosen trade. This is considering the high quality of training provided at the academy at its two premises in Roodepoort, Gauteng, and Polokwane, Limpopo.

The open day was attended by representatives of companies spanning the entire roofing value chain. They included banks and insurers through to roofers, as well as suppliers and manufacturers of materials. All of these stakeholders have a vested interest in ensuring that the industry has a vast pool of quality skills that are needed to provide workmanship of the highest quality, with the ultimate beneficiary being South African property owners.

This is exactly what JBC Roof Cover’s Belinda Conradie set out to achieve when she launched The Roofing Academy, which recently partnered with BMI Coverland to establish BMI Coverland Roofing Academy.

BMI Coverland is the largest roofing and waterproofing solutions company in the world. It, therefore, brings extensive resources, skills and experience to this partnership. This includes international best practice in terms of roofing and waterproofing training. The group also undertakes continuous research and development to ensure that it is at the forefront of waterproofing and roofing materials technology. This wealth of knowledge is also being imparted at BMI Coverland Roofing Academy so that learners are at the cutting-edge of industry practice when they complete their training.

“The official opening of BMI Coverland Roofing Academy is history in the making and a giant step forward in terms of professionalising the industry. We are formalising roofing and waterproofing which, until now, were not recognised as a trade that is taught by an accredited training provider as is the case with other apprenticeships in the construction industry. Skills in the field have traditionally been learnt on the job and refined over time. This does not necessarily mean that people are always learning the correct way of doing things or that they are being equipped with sufficient knowledge. We need a formal approach to training to address these concerns and raise the quality of workmanship in the field,” JJ Conradie, MD of BMI Coverland Roofing Academy, said at the open day.

The academy is the first to offer a Waterproofing and Roof Repair qualification at a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 2 that is accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Construction Education and Training Authority.

Experienced individuals are able to undergo a recognition-of-prior-learning process to obtain a qualification in roofing and waterproofing.

This course is complemented by a SAQA-accredited qualification in Timber Roof Erection at a NQF Level 3 to provide a comprehensive training solution for aspiring roofers.

Both courses consist of theory and practical instruction, which are facilitated by skilled and experienced roofers who are also excellent mentors.

Shawn Potgieter, Sello Simelani, Bernard Mathabela, Tshegofatso Molefe and Kevin Martin attest to the high quality of training on offer at BMI Coverland Roofing Academy. They are among the more recent group of individuals who have completed the waterproofing and repair course at the academy. Equipped with the best skills in the field, they have all secured employment with one of the country’s leading roofers.

They received their certificates for completing their training with flying colours at the open day.

“Shawn, Sello, Bernard, Tshegofatso and Kevin are among the next generation of roofers. It is our responsibility to ensure that we leave the industry in a significantly better state than we found it for the generation of professionals to follow in our footsteps. Upskilling is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the industry. I am proud to say that BMI Coverland Roofing Academy is at the forefront of this drive,” Conradie said.