This Unique Apprenticeship Program Provides Opportunity for Firsthand Field Experience

By Anna Lockhart.  

Mike Curley discusses his experience as a mentor for the WTI Apprentice Program and the impact it has made for his students.  

WTI offers a one-of-a-kind experience for young professionals looking to expand their experience and knowledge of the roofing industry. The apprenticeship program offers students the chance to get firsthand experience up on the roof and interacting with clients. Mike Curley discusses his experience working with these young minds and how the apprenticeship program has prepared them for a successful future ahead.  

A regional supervisor for WTI, Mike has worked with crews and sales teams for over a decade to provide the best repair jobs possible for their clients. Recently, he has put his valuable knowledge and skills to work as a mentor for young students in the apprenticeship program. In this role, Mike has guided the apprentices in learning how to accurately conduct quality control inspections for clients; training them from start to finish how to survey the project for all possible problem points that are then recorded into a report for the customers.  

The apprenticeship program has made a major difference in quality control reports for WTI. Mike explained, “Before we started this program, we struggled sometimes with consistent reporting. But it's turned around 100%. We get calls from sales guys now that everything looks great. Sales reps know the customer gets a great report. And they've even had customers call and say, ‘Wow, this report's great. I mean, everything is good.’" Providing a high-quality report makes the job a breeze not only for the laborers but the sales teams as well.  

The program was designed to give participants an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the roofing process from the experts themselves. Not only is Mike’s goal to teach them about creating the most accurate reports possible, but also to do it safely. 

“When I trained my guys, I would go up on the roof with them, spend a week with them, and show them how to do it right. And then, we always look at safety. Every roof we do, around the perimeter, if the wall on the roof is less than 39 inches, the tech out in the field has to write a recommendation for adding safety,” he explained. “Because at Tremco, our number one thing is not production. Our number one thing is safety. We would rather have you be safe and take a little longer than do it fast and not have safety. So the people out in the field are getting a lot better.” 

Students participating in the apprenticeship program are working and learning alongside these seasoned roofing professionals while, at the same time, going to school full time. For Mike, the program is not just a chance to teach them as a roofing mentor, but as an academic as well. Staying motivated both in the field and the classroom are equally important to him. With a degree in construction management, future possibilities are abundant. According to Mike, “It's an endless opportunity. You can go anywhere.”