Clearview National October 2019 - Issue 215 | Page 32

INDUSTRYASSOCIATIONS
One year
of Certass
Certass Trade Association
chair, Jon Vanstone, talks
about what the industry’s
largest association has
achieved in its first year.
A YEAR OF CERTASS
TRADE ASSOCIATION
The first year of Certass Trade Association
has flown by. It’s been clear to us that it was
an organisation that the industry was waiting
for. We launched in July 2018, with a goal to
improve the industry, focus on installers and
give them a real voice.
Installers are the vital connection between
the large glazing industry corporations, like
fabricators and systems companies, and
homeowners. Given that pre-existing industry
bodies and organisations weren’t giving the
focus to installers that was needed, Certass
Trade Association was launched to fill that
gap.
The number of issues that are facing
installers today, we knew we had a lot to
tackle. The skills shortage has been, and
continues to be, a huge talking point. Whilst
round table discussions and panel debates have
been ten-a-penny, the industry hasn’t offered a
real solution.
‘a meaningful qualification
that results in a qualified,
and more importantly,
competent window
installation workforce’
Meanwhile, the team at Certass Trade
Association has been busy working to achieve
Ofqual approval as a qualification body.
We’ve now achieved this in the form of
SSID, the Skills & Safety ID scheme. It will
give youngsters coming into the industry, or
fitter’s mates on site, the chance to achieve
a meaningful qualification that results in a
qualified, and more importantly, competent
window installation workforce.
32 » OCT 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
BUSINESS SUPPORT
For businesses that are growing from one
fitting team to multiple teams, other issues
can arise. Business owners need to adapt
from fitting onsite, quoting and selling in the
evening and sorting the admin in between, to
wearing lots of ‘caps’ so that the business runs
smoothly. There’s increased health & safety
training, HR, legal and finances to consider.
Certass Trade Association’s Business
Essentials is a support package which
includes valuable information, resources and
free helplines on HR, health & safety, debt
recovery, tax and legal issues to help installers
get even more value from their membership.
It includes direct access to experienced HR,
health & safety, legal and tax advisors over the
phone, so any questions or issues are answered
by specialists. Members also have access to
more than 700 downloadable documents,
including template contracts, letters and
checklists to help with their business admin.
On top of this is access to a professional debt
recovery service, so that installers don’t have to
get weighed down chasing rogue consumers
for payment.
THE BEST KNOWLEDGE
IN THE INDUSTRY
Another reason why Certass Trade
Association adds real value for installers is that
it has a truly unique position in the industry.
Our team has some of the best technical
knowledge out there. We’ve got members
of the Chartered Association of Building
Engineers and ex-tradespeople; our team can
help installers with almost any technical query
they can think of.
I’ve also got a unique market position as
chair of Competent Persons Forum (CPF),
Trade Association Forum (TAF) and the
Leadership Committee for RoofCert as
well as being part of BRAC. As the only
glazing industry body represented within
senior Government relationship forums, our
knowledge is unrivalled within the industry.
AWARD-WINNING TRADE
ASSOCIATION
To top off an incredible first year of Certass
TA, we picked up four Trade Association
Forum Best Practice Awards in July, which are
judged by BEIS. Certass TA was triumphant
in the Good Governance, Marketing
Campaign and Social Media awards as well as
being presented with the biggest award of the
night - Trade Association of the Year. As the
first glazing association to ever achieve this, it
confirms to us that how we have launched and
developed our association is the right way.
There are plenty of plans in place for 2020,
which are being shaped by feedback from our
members, so that we can give them even more
value from their TA membership and continue
to champion local installers and the fantastic
work they do.
www.certass.co.uk