Joe Byrne, FRSA President, Owner, Byrne Roofing Inc.
President's Column
In the medical profession, doctors practice medicine. In the legal profession, attorneys practice law. And, in the roofing industry, we install roofs. For most people, their home is their largest investment and making sure a licensed and experienced roofing professional installs the roof properly and according to code is essential.
Over the last 15 years or so I’ve seen some poorly installed roofs, making me wonder if the crew who installed the roof had any kind of training. Are companies training their employees and, if not, why? Are there not enough training facilities available or too few workers and not enough time to properly train them?
When I was in school, my favorite class was shop because I was able to learn a lot about different trades: automotive, carpentry, mechanical and building (some good classes and some not so good). By taking shop classes, I knew that I wanted to work with my hands and head and that I could build things I would be proud of.
The shop classes of the past are no more, along with most technical schools in the country. The Trump administration was trying to bring them back and, unfortunately, progress has stalled. As we know, college is not for everyone and with academic costs skyrocketing, piling on student debt isn’t appealing for some. Read more.
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