FLAT ROOFING
Preparing the mastic asphalt
roofing industry for the future
Mastic asphalt roofing is one of the few construction professions still highly regarded as a ‘craft trade’. The
roofing material has stood the test of time with some applications providing effective waterproofing for some
100 years or so, but effective installation is critical to ensure longevity and performance, says
Malcolm Grinstead, director of Mastic Asphalt Council
There are many time-served
mastic asphalt roofing
applicators working across the
country, and the Mastic Asphalt
Council (MAC) carries out a great deal
of work to raise awareness amongst the
younger generation about the benefits of
learning to apply mastic asphalt and the
career opportunities available.
The skilled work involves heating the
asphalt to the correct temperature and then
spreading using traditional techniques to
carefully coat a surface. A thermoplastic
material that will change shape when
heated, mastic asphalt cools to form a hard,
durable and waterproof coating.
Work to high standards
Mastic asphalt is a highly-respected
product and a roofing application of
choice by specifiers, but it’s absolutely
critical that we build an industry that
is fit for the future with a growing
workforce dedicated to quality. This will
help to ensure that the next generation
of craftspeople can work to the same
high standards that have given mastic
asphalt the reputation it enjoys today.
By learning to apply mastic asphalt,
individuals can gain a much-needed
New City
College
Hackney
skill, earn a decent wage and have
plenty of job opportunities across
the UK. Once mastic asphalters
have successfully completed an
apprenticeship, they are fully competent
in the occupation and have fully
transferable skills, enabling them to
work for a full range of employers, from
self-employment, to SME’s and large
multi-national companies.
Traditionally consisting of graded
limestone aggregate bound together with
bitumen, today’s mastic asphalt systems
are now manufactured using advanced
polymer modified formulations
to ensure all the performance
characteristics of traditional asphalt
systems, with the added benefits of
increased flexibility, enhanced handling
and sustainability. The incorporation
of modern polymers into mastic
asphalt systems has helped lead to its
resurgence in the construction industry.
New City College Hackney, formerly
Hackney Community College, is
currently the only further education
college in the country to deliver courses
in mastic asphalt, and it relies upon
support from MAC and its members.
The mastic asphalt craft is taught by
professional tutors and the traditional
time-served apprenticeship is now
incorporated into national vocational
qualifications, leading to a Level 2 or
Level 3 NVQ qualification.
MAC aims to protect the future of
the industry by supporting apprentices
through an intensive three or four-year
training programme that will ensure
they can install mastic asphalt to the
highest standards. The craft training
programme is said to be one of the most
demanding in the construction industry,
and includes practical and theoretical
training to use mastic asphalt on a wide
range of applications involving roofing,
flooring, paving and tanking.
Students can utilise state-of-the-art
facilities at New City College Hackney,
which include a workshop replicating
a real work site and a one-tonne
asphalt mixer.
Why take on an apprentice?
An apprenticeship combines learning
at college with on-site experience
to give apprentices the right mix of
technical and practical skills. There
has never been a better time to offer
apprenticeships, with one in >
72 www.rcimag.co.uk July 2018
/www.rcimag.co.uk
/www.rcimag.co.uk
