As his two-year tenure as CFA president comes to an end, Alan McEwan looks back and reflects on what’s been achieved
WHEN I stepped into the role of CFA president two years ago, I used my first column in these pages to set out a clear roadmap. My overarching goals were straightforward but ambitious: to elevate industry standards, champion the everyday interests of flooring professionals, and ensure our sector had a voice in the wider construction industry.
As my tenure draws to a close, writing this final column is an opportunity for reflection. Looking back at that initial checklist has allowed me to see how progress has been made in areas that matter most.
Tackling the talent pipeline
The single biggest issue I wanted to address was the widening skills gap, representing an existential risk to the growth and sustainability of our businesses.
Over the last two years, we rolled out the revised Future Fitters guide to give contractors tangible strategies to attract more young people, including a much-needed push to welcome more women into a traditionally male-dominated sector. We have also taken steps towards flooring being recognised as a highly technical, skilled discipline in England and Wales, by achieving the upgrade of the qualification from a level 2 to a level 3 NVQ, bringing this in line with Scotland.
Seeing the sector unite around this has been incredibly rewarding. From celebrating the exceptional standard of talent at our annual Apprentice of the Year awards, to watching cross-industry initiatives take root, such as the Floorsight scheme launched by F Ball alongside with FITA and WEBS training and supported by the CFA. We still have a journey ahead, but the pipeline is being restored.
Safer, fairer environments
My second priority was to champion the wellbeing and interests of flooring contractors.
For too long, flooring teams have been treated as an afterthought, expected to deliver flawless results while navigating chaotic, poorly prepared sites and compressed timescales.
Through the launch of our Clear Our Workspace campaign, we sought to change this dynamic. Normalising the concept of the responsible ‘no’, we aimed to give contractors the confidence to pause a project until environmental and structural conditions meet British Standards, protecting both the installer and the installation.
This push for site-level professionalism became even more critical as we navigated the sweeping legislative changes of the Building Safety Act. The publication of the CFA Competence Guide was designed to address this exact pressure point. Breaking compliance down into clear, manageable steps for installer, technical and organisational competence, we’ve ensured our members can robustly evidence their professionalism during tendering and pre-construction audits.
Maximising the value of membership
Underpinning all of these initiatives is an objective that I have consistently championed throughout my columns: ensuring that businesses truly understand and exploit the full spectrum of CFA membership benefits. Displaying the CFA logo brings commercial credibility, serving as a badge of soft regulation that assures clients of professionalism and adherence to an industry code of conduct, but the value extends far beyond this.
We have worked hard to remind members of the practical, day-to-day resources available to them, from free credit-checking facilities to help safeguard against financial risk to specialist legal and employment helplines, dispute resolution services and ready-made documentation templates.
Final thanks
The progress we’ve made over my tenure is entirely down to the people working tirelessly behind the scenes. I want to express my deepest gratitude to CEO Richard Catt, training manager Shaun Wadsworth, the CFA council and the dedicated committee members who drive our legislative and educational agendas every single day.
To our members, thank you for your trust, your feedback and your commitment to raising standards. And to those still standing on the sidelines: now’s the time to join. The challenges facing our sector, whether navigating the fallout of major supply chain disruptions or fighting for fair payment terms, cannot be solved in isolation. The strength of the CFA lies in its collective voice, which allows us to influence regulatory and policy decisions right up to government level.
It’s been an honour. I look forward to continuing to support the trade from the back benches, and I wish my successor, Matt Brown of Uzin, the best of luck in steering our brilliant industry forward.
www.f-ball.co.uk
Alan McEwan of F Ball and Co is the outgoing CFA president
