Mike Waldron, floorlayer and the CFA Apprentice of the Year 2023 elaborates on how
his training has developed him as a floorlayer today.

I Walked out of the door feeling accomplished at the End Point Assessment centre last year having finished my apprenticeship. A lot of hard work had gone into trying to utilise as many avenues as possible I learned from during my course. Part of this included all the days I spent at college as well as additional days I spent on other courses trying to increase my knowledge and skill set. However, I was aware that just because I had a certificate and a blue CSCS skilled worker card, didn’t mean I was now the finished article. There’s always more to learn in an industry like ours where new materials, products and tools are always being released. This is especially true when it comes to LVT. Continuous professional development is required in all roles and industries to achieve your full potential, there’s always more we can learn no matter how experienced we are.

One of the concepts of professional development is the 70:20:10 rule, a popular model that tells us about the way we build knowledge. It’s not set in stone, but it roughly follows along the guidelines below:

• 70% of learning should happen through on-the-job experience. This is from being hands on and getting involved in the workplace and solving problems.
• 20% of learning should happen socially, through colleagues and friends. This might be from watching someone as they carry out a task or from discussing issues or processes together, also known as the 20% feedback process.
• 10% of learning should take place through ‘actual’ learning, this might be from watching content online, reading industry magazines or from taking part in formal training courses.
The reality is most of us don’t dedicate as much time to improvement and training as we should. Having been fortunate enough to train at different course providers in the flooring industry I know how beneficial training can be. Often day-to-day, we stick with what we know because it works, even though it might not be the optimal method, It’s the quickest way we know and a busy site with a deadline looming, or a customer’s house where time and material wastage is key, isn’t always the best place to try something new for the first time.

When we take the time to go on a training course, we’re investing in ourselves, giving us the chance to spend a day or more of blocked out dedicated time, focusing on improving your skills and knowledge in an environment where trying new ideas and techniques is encouraged. Being tutored by experts showing new techniques or skills and importantly, being given the opportunity to try those techniques in a safe environment leads to improved quality of work, efficiencies, and the ability to take on more complex jobs. Training enables you to stay up to date with new trends and best practices to ensure you remain competitive.

That’s especially true with LVT, an area growing fast in our industry as this CFJ supplement shows. The growth of LVT has been mirrored by the growth in LVT training and tools. It’s exciting to be part of an industry with a product with so much innovation surrounding it. With so many fresh ideas and a growing customer demand it’s even more important than ever to dedicate time to LVT training to ensure we’re at the top of our game.

Having attended courses at most of the training providers in our industry. I know how valuable they are for what you learn, but also for the people you meet. It’s a great chance to meet fitters from other backgrounds and parts of the country and to pick up knowledge not just from the trainer but from everyone else investing in themselves. I frequently see on social media fitters working together on projects that met doing the same course, showing networking with like-minded people at training courses is invaluable. As with anything in life; you get out of training what you put into it, those people who invest the most time and effort into professional development will be the ones who see the biggest benefits. There are several options, from free LVT courses offered by some manufacturers, to courses delivered by LVT specialists or courses offered by industry leading training centres across the country.

The LVT market is growing and we’ve the opportunity through training to evolve with it.