Norcros Adhesives is aiming to meet tiling industry demand for training with the opening of its new ‘Skills Centre’.
Located in a redeveloped area of its factory complex at Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, the company’s new facility is set to become an important resource for companies in the tiling sector, as the company sets out to deliver an expanding range of tiling courses in state-of-the-art bespoke facilities for the benefit of customers throughout the industry.
“It was always in our company’s plan, since our formation as an independent business 11 years ago, to create a training centre which we could develop for the benefit of the industry as a whole,” explains Mandy Searle, technical services manager. “Judging from the number of requests that we are receiving from customers, there is a strong demand from the industry for a training resource such as this.”
The Skills Centre comprises a lecture room and also a practical area, with the latter taking up approximately two-thirds of the space. It is a very flexible area in which the size and configuration of the tiling bays can be varied to accommodate up to 12 trainees. The nature of the training that is carried out puts the emphasis firmly on the practical aspects, with all trainees encouraged to improve their own tiling techniques.
A key USP of the facility is the fact that it is located on a shared site with sister company Johnson Tiles. So a benefit of the Norcros development is that there are a wide range of different tile types available on-site. The company will also be able to use the Skills Centre as a showroom and for new product launches.
Mandy Searle’s team are now able to deliver a wide range of industry-leading training courses within the Skills Centre. These include:
- A TTA-accredited Tile Retail Apprenticeship, which aims to ensure that all tile retailers are suitably qualified with the skills and knowledge necessary to maintain the industry’s high professional standards. Funding is available for this qualification
- Norcros product training, comprising modules which aim to promote Norcros products and their correct use, helping trainees to develop best practice, working towards NVQ level and learning about the requirements of British Standards
- Natural Stone Fixing courses, developed in partnership with specialists in this area
- Norcros Adhesives’ own Basic Introduction to Wall & Floor Tiling — a course principally aimed at the DIY market
- One-day bespoke courses aimed at specific customers and their requirements. This can also be delivered at customers’ own premises
- CPD Training — Norcros Adhesives currently offers two different CPD courses developed for architects, specifiers and large contractors who need to keep their CPD qualifications up to date. The subjects currently available are: Reinforced Polymer Technology for Tiling and Avoiding Common Failures when Specifying Wall and Floor Tiling. A new course covering Tiling on to Anhydrite Screeds is also about to be introduced. The CPD courses are available in various formats — online, at customers’ premises or through the Skills Centre.
“Our courses for the first few months of operating the Skills Centre are booked up,” says Mandy Searle, “but we will be introducing more during the year, which will be promoted through the trade press.”
Mandy, who has a TQUK Level 3 Award in Education & Training (QCF), will herself be delivering most of the theory aspects of the tiling courses with support from her technical team, while Norcros has a recently appointed a customer support technician who will deliver the practical elements.
For more information about attending a Norcros Adhesive training course, call 01782 524 140 or email training@norcros-adhesives.com
