Presidential Plans – New CFA President Outlines Main Priorities

First things first, let me start off by saying how delighted I am to have been elected CFA president and to have the opportunity to contribute further to the valuable work that our industry body does for its members.

I also want to pay tribute to immediate past president Carl Harper of Westcotes Flooring on doing an outstanding job over the past two years, particularly around recruiting new members, as well as thank people serving on the council and sub-committees for their support. While ‘president’ is quite a grand title, it is more often the people behind the scenes who make things happen and push the legislative agenda. I look forward to working with them over the next two years.

One of the main issues that I will look to address during my tenure is the ongoing skills and labour shortages affecting many flooring contractors. Part of the solution is continuing to promote access to training, as well as making people aware of the opportunities offered by a career in the flooring industry, including apprenticeships.

Training is essential for both newcomers to the flooring industry, to ensure good working practices are developed by the next generation of flooring contractors from the start of their careers, and also for seasoned professionals, to make sure that they keep up to date with developments affecting the industry. These include legal and regulatory changes, as well as advancements in product technology that mean flooring professionals can work more efficiently and to ever higher standards, helping them to retain a competitive edge.

I have been a member of the CFA Council and vice-chair of the Scottish committee since 2011, when the CFA merged with the Association of Floorcovering Contractors (Scotland).

My own experience, both working in industry roles, including as F. Ball technical representative for Scotland for 16 years and counting, as well as various positions for the CFA, should help me to better represent the interests of the UK flooring industry.

One example of where the CFA has really shown its value is bringing through apprentices in Scotland – after colleges there stopped supporting apprenticeships in flooring, we got involved and supported the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to take the course on board.

“It wouldn’t have happened without the CFA and CFA/FITA training manager Shaun Wadsworth. CFA members receive discounts on training courses held at FITA’s Loughborough and Kirkcaldy training centres.

I will also address the issue of site conditions. Too often, flooring contractors are asked to work in poorly ventilated, badly lit environments that are either too hot or too cold, or they arrive on site to have to work around other trades. Not only is it detrimental to the well-being of flooring professionals, it can have a negative impact on the quality of finished results as unfavourable environmental conditions have an adverse effect on the performance of products. We’ll be approaching this from both a main contractor and flooring contractor point of view, and you will see that we recently launched the latest CFA site conditions campaign entitled ‘Clear Our Workspace’. Underpinning best practice is the concept of the responsible ‘no’, where a contractor may gave to pause work until the correct site conditions are achieved to ensure a successful installation.

My experience attending sites and helping to produce specifications advising on the best course of action for particular flooring projects is helpful in gaining the flooring contractor’s perspective on such areas.

Finally, I want to raise awareness of the benefits of CFA membership. Apart from the customer credibility and customer assurance that comes with being able to display the CFA logo, meaning that an organisation meets the CFA and industry agreed criteria, it also provides access to a wide range of resources and business support services, including legal advice, dispute resolution services and credit checks. Members also have a platform to contribute to industry standards and regulations.

Apart from my obvious duty to encourage individuals and organisations to become members to unlock these benefits, I want to encourage existing members to take full advantage of them.

My first official CFA event as president will be the association’s 50th anniversary celebration on 12th October, which provides a great opportunity to reflect on the CFA and members’ contribution to the contract flooring sector over the last 50 years. But equally as important is to enjoy a fun social event and develop those all-important business relationships in a relaxed environment. I’m a great believer in the value of the industry coming together in person to network. I look forward to meeting new people and seeing familiar faces there and at future events.