F. Ball Launches Floorsight™ Apprenticeship Programme
F. Ball and Co. Ltd. has partnered with the Contract Flooring Association (CFA), the Flooring Industry Training Association (FITA) and WEBS training to launch its own apprenticeship programme, called ‘Floorsight™’, to provide career pathways in flooring aimed at ensuring the future of the industry.
It has been founded in part to tackle the persistent skills gap in the contract flooring industry and encourage younger people to consider careers in the flooring industry.
F. Ball managing director Darren Kenyon explains: “Flooring contractors face a shortage of skilled workers as fewer people are entering the trade than are leaving, threatening the ability to deliver on projects and hampering growth. The only way to counter this is by creating more opportunities in flooring and communicating the benefits of a career in the industry. It is in the interests of manufacturers to work together with the rest of the industry to achieve this. This is what Floorsight™ is about.”
The first cohort will see 9 young people join the programme where they will be placed at partnering flooring contractors.
In addition to on the job learning, apprentices will benefit from blocks of specialist training delivered at the F. Ball Centre of Excellence by experts from the company’s Training and Technical Service Departments, partnered with floorcovering manufacturers and FITA, with F. Ball also providing additional resources, including tools, workwear, additional skills training and the use of a laptop for apprentices for the duration of the two-year course.
Commenting on the launch of Floorsight™, CFA CEO Richard Catt said: “We’re delighted to support the Floorsight™ programme. It’s a fantastic example of a trade body working in partnership with industry to tackle skills shortages and create accessible career opportunities for young people. Expanding the geographic reach of apprenticeship delivery is a key priority for the CFA and was first highlighted in our Future Fitter Guide in 2022. Initiatives like this are vital in making that ambition a reality.”
FITA training manager Shaun Wadsworth added: “The flooring industry’s skills and labour shortage is well documented, with an estimated gap of 12,400 floor layers, an 18% shortfall. We’re proud to support F. Ball and WEBS in this exciting initiative, which presents a fantastic opportunity for employers and apprentices. The value added by
F. Ball, combined with gold-standard training delivered by WEBS and FITA, makes this an outstanding example of how to reverse the skills shortage.”
