Description
Enrolling now for July 2026!
Please take a minute to see our case study with Contour Roofing, one of our partners for roofing apprenticeships.
How it works
- To join our apprenticeship, apprentices must be employed as a PAYE employee. All students and employers are supported throughout the enrolment stage. Students are screened to identify their learning style and whether they require additional support. All students will sit a short English and Maths diagnostic. We deliver Functional Skills in English and Maths so employees can still apply if they haven’t achieved a C grade.
- The Apprentice then attends our college in Ipswich 1 day a week and works with their employer for the other 4 days on ‘on-the-job training’.
- Apprentice studies towards a Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard in Slate & Tile Roofing. Apprentices’ studies include theory and practical training.
- For further information on the new standard, please follow this link.
At the end of the apprenticeship, apprentices have a three-part assessment to pass their apprenticeship. A formal test with 45 questions, an observation on site and a professional discussion. This is known as the End Point Assessment.
Who should attend?
This course is for employees who want to gain significant skills in tile and slate roofing and have an employer who can release them for 1 day per week.
This course is open to 16+ year olds. Mature students are welcome to apply.
Course content
The apprenticeship will consist of:
- Carry out a range of job tasks including measuring, marking out, fitting, finishing, positioning and securing
- Install plain tiles, interlocking tiles, natural slates, and fibre-cement slates
- Install underlay, battens and related roofing components
- Install pre-formed lead and/or proprietary flashings
- Install dry and wet fixed products to verges, hips, ridges and valleys
- Install insulation and ventilation products for warm and cold roof construction
- Install roof windows and flashing kits
On completion of this apprenticeship, slaters and tilers will know:
- The principles of slating and tiling and how they are applied in routine tasks, such as setting out roofs, installing insulation, underlay and other background materials, installing main roof coverings, fixings, fittings and components, ventilation and dry fix systems, roof windows, mixing and applying mortar and installing pre-formed lead and/or proprietary flashings
- How to use key dimensions relating to batten gauges and minimum and maximum headlap
- How to strip and reclaim slates, tiles and fittings for re-use
- How to check areas to be covered, including the correct installation of cavity trays, fascia board height, barge boards, hip and valley construction, penetrations, and masonry
- How to requisition slating and tiling materials, such as tiles, slates, underlay, battens, fixings and related materials, fittings and components
Duration
This course covers 18 months, depending on prior experience, and candidates will attend day-release off-the-job training at the roofing college/training centre once a week. The remainder of the time is spent with the employer on-site, gaining the experience necessary for the end-point assessment that is taken at the end of the apprentices’ learning.
At the end of the 18 months, the apprentice passes a ‘gateway’ and then is independently assessed by an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO).
Employer Contributions & Funding Options:
Please see the guidance for employing an apprentice. Employing an apprentice: Get funding for apprenticeship training – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Every employer has to open an Apprenticeship Service Account in order to obtain funding for their apprentices. Sign in to your apprenticeship service account – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), this is required before the apprentice’s enrolment date.
Once your account is set up, you can set permissions to allow us as the Training Provider to take actions on your behalf, minimising the administration, for example, by reserving funds and adding apprentices’ details.
For new starts from 1 April 2024, where the employer does not pay the apprenticeship levy, the government will fund all of the apprenticeship training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for apprentices who are aged between 16 and 21 years old when they start their apprenticeship training.
Does this funding cover the cost of my apprentice’s salary?
No, paying the apprentice’s salary is an additional cost on top of their training and is the responsibility of the employer.
Employing an apprentice: Pay and conditions for apprentices – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you require support with setting up your Digital Apprenticeships account and understanding apprenticeship funding, please contact Kate Rupp on 01473 744412.
