Housing Minister Visits Bridgend College to Celebrate New Roof Slating and Tiling Apprenticeship
11/02/2026Bridgend College was delighted to welcome Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, to our Pencoed Campus for a visit to our Construction Academy last week. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase how the College is supporting skills development across the construction and housing sectors through industry-led apprenticeship training.
A key focus of the visit was the College’s new Roof Slating and Tiling Apprenticeship, the first of its kind in Wales. Developed in partnership with CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), this initiative responds to the growing need to secure a skilled workforce while continuing to uphold the high standards of the roofing sector.
The Cabinet Secretary was welcomed to our Construction Academy, where she met apprentices, employers and College staff, and gained an insight into how our new roofing pathway is being delivered alongside existing construction apprenticeship provision. As the only provision of its kind currently available in Wales, the pathway enables learners to gain recognised training in roof tiling closer to home.
“I was delighted to visit Bridgend College and celebrate the launch of Wales’s first roofing apprenticeship pathway – a real milestone that means Welsh apprentices no longer have to travel to the Midlands for this specialist training.”
Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.
During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary spoke directly with apprentices currently enrolled on a range of construction programmes, including those involved in the new roofing pathway, and heard about their experiences of combining work and studying at college.
Representatives from CITB, together with members of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) and local roofing contractors, attended the visit, highlighting the College’s close partnership with industry in developing the new apprenticeship pathway.
Bridgend College has a strong and established history in construction training, delivering programmes from entry level through to Level 5, with plans to expand into degree-level apprenticeship provision in the future. The College currently supports nearly 1,000 apprentices across a wide range of sectors, with construction as its primary focus. In recent years, this offer has been further strengthened through the development of high-quality civil engineering apprenticeship programmes.
The visit took place in celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, highlighting the vital role apprenticeships play in connecting people and businesses, and in supporting individuals, employers and the wider Welsh economy. Bridgend College remains committed to delivering high-quality apprenticeship provision that responds to industry needs and supports sustainable workforce development across the region.
“Apprenticeships connect learners and employers while delivering sustainable skills for communities across the region. Launching Wales’ first Roof Slating and Tiling Apprenticeship, in partnership with CITB, demonstrates how our industry-led provision supports learners, employers and the long-term sustainability of the construction sector.”
Denise Brookes-Cooze, Head of Work Based Learning
