The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has welcomed plans to introduce earlier technical education routes in England from September 2028, while warning that success hinges on practical delivery and meaningful support for schools and smaller employers.

NFRC said the Prime Minister's intention to create new technical pathways for 14-year-olds is a positive move towards giving young people fairer access to careers in roofing and construction, but urged ministers to set out how the policy will work in practice.

Under the proposal, pupils entering Year 10 would be able to combine core academic subjects with technical education, work experience and employer contact from September 2028. The federation said the change responds directly to members' concerns that trades careers are not given equal prominence alongside academic routes.

NFRC's latest State of the UK Roofing Industry report (Winter 2026) found that 47% of roofing contractors said recruiting skilled labour was harder than a year earlier, and 58% reported skilled labour shortages were limiting the amount of work their business could take on. Just 2% of contractors said it was currently easy to attract new workers to the industry.

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Ruth Scarrott, NFRC Head of Careers, said: "Anything that gets roofing and construction in front of young people earlier, and treats technical education as equal to the academic route, is a step in the right direction. Our Members continually tell us that finding skilled people is one of their biggest challenges.

"We do need to see more detail on how this will work in practice. There's a real opportunity here to build on established programmes, like Local Skills Improvement Plans, rather than creating something parallel that competes for the same employers' time and attention.

"It's also vital that schools are supported to work with smaller, local construction firms, not just the large national employers who tend to have dedicated resource for this kind of engagement. Most of our members are SMEs, and they're often the ones best placed to offer a young person a genuine route into the trade in their own community. But a small contractor with a handful of staff can't always give the same time to school visits and work placements that a large employer can, so any new system needs to make it straightforward and low-burden for them to get involved."

NFRC's Careers Hub offers guidance for people starting out in roofing through to those looking to progress. Young people can find out more at www.nfrc.co.uk/careers-and-skills/starting-a-roofing-career/young-people.html