A pathway into the industry

By Emma Peterson. 

Hear about a modern apprenticeship and how it’s helping people find their place in the roofing industry. 

Apprenticeships have a long history, beginning in the Middle Ages with artisan and merchant guilds. As the working world shifted in the industrial revolution, so did apprenticeships. But through it all, they remained a key training method due to their focus on hands-on learning, mentorship and skill development. Today, apprenticeships are still thriving for these reasons and companies like Tremco WTI are investing in them. In this Roofing Road Trips® episode, Heidi J. Ellsworth talks to two apprentices, Walter Marshall and Ian Cranmer, about what WTI’s Apprenticeship Program means to them.  

Walter is a lead service field technician with WTI, based in South Carolina. He has been a part of the program since WTI introduced it and jumped straight in. Walter explained his perspective at the beginning of his journey, “I really didn't know what was in store for me, but I figured if anything that was going to help my future, I was willing to do.”  

As for Ian, he’s a lead inspector and a lead build technician, which means he’s doing a lot of yearly inspections on top of normal repairs and such. He shared a bit of what the program is, “It's a little bit of online courses, a little bit of classes and the majority of it is on-the-job training. It all meshes so well together because when I'm out here in the field, I'm able to get hands-on experience with a little bit of everything. And being able to tie into the classwork on the computer and see it firsthand just really helps tie it all together.” 

Walter echoed Ian’s sentiments about the hands-on experience being a key component of the program, “When you start with WTI, there's a lot to learn because Tremco makes a lot of different products and every single product has a different process, a different application, a different primer, different materials to use. So there's a lot to learn. And the most efficient way I have found to learn is hands-on. So the hybrid of online and hands-on has been beneficial.”  

At the time of the interview, Ian was preparing to enter phase three of the apprenticeship and start taking some college courses. As for Walter, he was looking four weeks ahead to when he would complete his journeyman status! He shared, “Completing this journeyman status is giving me the opportunity to show Tremco WTI that I'm committed to work for the company. They invested in me and I'm trying to invest in them.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast for more about the Tremco WTI Apprenticeship Program and these two men’s journeys.