FAQs

NFRC RoofCERT Roofing Accreditation is an accreditation scheme for roofers. Existing operatives are able to demonstrate their technical knowledge and essential skills, enabling them to establish a lifelong career path and prove their competence to employers and clients.

Businesses whose operatives are ‘Accredited Roofers’ can expect to benefit from improved health and safety records, reductions in snagging and higher levels of customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, clearer opportunities for advancement will make roofing a more attractive occupation to new entrants, so that the industry can start to tackle the current and future skills gap.

The NFRC RoofCERT Roofing Accreditation scheme is a CITB-funded programme managed by NFRC, with support from across the roofing industry. NFRC believes that an accreditation scheme will improve trust in roofers, as it has done for other sectors, helping to drive out unskilled and unsafe cowboys who undercut responsible roofing installers. The aim is that accreditation will help to professionalise the industry, making it more attractive to new entrants.

In 2016, NFRC and the CITB commissioned research to better understand the state of skills and training among roofing contractors. It was based on surveys and in-depth interviews of 141 UK roofing contractors, eleven training organisations, eleven manufacturers and over 150 other stakeholders. The report found that roofing installers were less qualified than many other construction roles, with a shortage of local training provision and assessors to provide on-site training and competency assessment. It is also hard for micro businesses and the self-employed to take time out for training. Snagging rates are therefore high and costly, which impacts productivity.

RoofCERT is aimed at individual installers. It is a demonstration of their competency and continued career development within the roofing sector. The accreditation will remain with the individual throughout their career providing the scheme criteria is maintained.

RoofCERT can help businesses wanting to register their operatives for accreditation by providing support and advice throughout the process. 

After registering, you will be required to take and pass a technical knowledge test specific to your roofing specialism online or at an approved test centre. To gain accreditation you will then need to provide evidence of your qualifications and the completion of mandatory short duration courses on first aid, manual handling, working at height, fire safety, asbestos awareness and abrasive wheels.

You will need to renew your accreditation every three years.

RoofCERT accreditation captures an installer’s existing qualifications but also recognises experience gained on site following an assessment by a trained and experienced Skills Evaluator.

An experienced worker route to accreditation will be available shortly for those installers that do not hold the relevant vocational qualification (N/SVQ). You will still need to pass the technical knowledge test and complete the mandatory short courses so register today and start the process.

No. It’s open to anyone in industry and the aim is have at least 2,000 roofers accredited by 2022. The accreditation programme has been designed to capture those that work in micro through to large organisations.

CITB have committed funding to support the accreditation of 2,000 contractors for a single discipline until 2021.

Thereafter, installers will be charged a fee.

RoofCERT accreditation is only open to those with a minimum three years roofing experience, though new entrants to the industry can register their interest. However, it is essential that the accreditation scheme targets those entering roofing and supports their development into an experienced roofer. Demonstrating a career pathway will encourage new entrants into the roofing trade.

The intention is that the RoofCERT National Roofing Accreditation scheme becomes the industry standard for roofing operatives. It will be a self-sustaining organisation with responsibility for the continued development and management of the accreditation scheme.

NFRC RoofCERT Roofing Accreditation will cover all the roofing disciplines. These include: Roof Tiler; Roof Slater; Roof Slater & Tiler; Reinforced Bituminous Membrane; Single Ply; Liquid Roofing; Lead & Hard Metals; Mastic Asphalt; Roof Sheeting & Cladding.

Additional routes will become available in the future.

You can obtain accreditation in multiple disciplines. You will need to take the technical knowledge test to demonstrate proof of competency, however most of the evidence required for additional accreditation is cross-referenced against your existing accreditation.

You can complete it at your own pace. If you do not hold a vocational qualification and have not previously completed any of the short duration courses, then together with the technical knowledge test, it will take you approximately 30 hours in total (which can be taken over a 9-month period). Of course, it will take you less time if you already hold valid certification in the mandatory training or qualification.

This is a 40-minute online multiple-choice test, which consists of 35 questions. These are based on current standards and codes of practice and cover the entire range of tasks involved in installing a roof covering in a particular discipline. You need to pass this test in order to achieve full accreditation.

Short duration training courses, some of which are supported through existing CITB grant funding, consist of: Working at Height; Asbestos Awareness; Manual Handling; Abrasive Wheels; First Aid; and Fire safety. CITB has a dedicated training portal where you can search for the training you require.

Please ensure any training is carried out by an NFRC or CITB approved organisation. Online awareness training must be endorsed by RoSPA, IIRSM, IATP or UKATA.

Simply go to www.roofcert.co.uk/register and enter your details, including what disciplines you currently work. You will receive a confirmation email and a unique ID that stays with you throughout your career as an Accredited Roofer.