On The Tools - From Starter To Boss, An Apprentice's Tale

Jonathan Woods, the CITB's Nikki Parsons and Reece Cooper with the Barry & Peggy Scholarship Award.

Having started working for Contour Roofing as a young man, Jonathan Woods has gone on to buy the business - and commit to developing apprentices. Here's his story, with thanks to the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board).

Woods worked for Essex has worked for the company since he left school. He became the owner and Managing Director in 2014.

With ambitions to develop the company, while bridging the skills gap and labour shortage in roofing, Woods, alongside CITB Apprenticeship Officer, Nikki Parsons, quickly brought the Contour Roofing Apprentice Programme to fruition.

Having achieved the milestone, Woods is keen to spread the word about the programme and how it is a key element in sustaining industry as far as he is concerned.

Woods told The Installer abut Reece Cooper, an apprentice who recently won the Barry & Peggy Scholarship Award: “I first met Reece in 2016 at the Aspire Academy in Harlow, Essex when he was only 15.

"The aim of my visit was to talk about the government apprenticeship route and of course, the opportunities available in roofing.”

 

Classroom talk at Aspire Academy

The Aspire Academy supports vulnerable 4-16 year olds who have experienced social, emotional and mental health difficulties and require a more specialised learning environment.

“They weren’t bad kids and, in some cases, had been let down and gone through some harrowing and distressing experiences,” says Woods. “Reece Cooper sat to my left and what struck me was how attentive he was throughout the whole presentation. I just knew this was a boy who wanted an opportunity and was not going to let it slip.”

This was an important opportunity for Reece, having lost his father to cancer just a few years ago, this acted as a catalyst for the struggles he later experienced, particularly at school. However, still only 15 years old, Woods explains how he was unable to take Reece on as an apprentice just yet: “He had to stay in school until the following year when he turned 16 but I didn’t want Reece to lose hope, so we came up with a solution that would allow Reece to have scheduled H&S training and supervised training at our offices, with permission of the school.”

 

Training

Before Reece’s apprenticeship had even started, he’d already jumped ahead of the curve and passed an extensive list of training courses, including; CITB Site Safety Plus, Harness Training, Abrasive Wheels, Asbestos Awareness, H&S Awareness, Manual Handling, Paslode Nail Gun Training, and Working at Heights.

 

First aid

Speaking of the opportunity, Woods says, “Reece ripped both my arms off and in 2016, became the first person at Contour Roofing to achieve a Level 3 in First Aid, which for a 16-year-old is pretty impressive.”

 

National Construction College

With all the enthusiasm and many core skills already in place, Reece started his apprenticeship with Contour Roofing in 2017. He attended the National Construction College (NCC) in Erith, Kent while also learning practical skills on-site with his mentors.

“Reece Cooper is a testament to himself, his family and Contour Roofing, and we are all very proud of him.” Woods adds, “What Reece is achieving here at Contour Roofing is ground-breaking. In the coming year he’ll be able to make a living for himself as his own boss.”

Picture: Jonathan Woods, the CITB's Nikki Parsons and Reece Cooper with the Barry & Peggy Scholarship Award. The Barry & Peggy High Foundation offers help to young people, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
10th June 2020

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