Each issue, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Shaun Wadsworth, Training Manager, Contract Flooring Association.


Q1


and paper rounds, my first proper job was as an apprentice upholsterer for a contract upholstery firm in Derby. It started as your typical traditional apprenticeship, sweeping up, prep work and deliveries but always an opportunity to learn. I became a more than competent upholsterer and saw first-hand the good that apprenticeships and employers willing to invest in training could do to a company.


Q2


How did you get into the industry?


I took the opportunity to work with the training provider that delivered my apprenticeships in the furniture sector. I spent 12 years learning the ins and outs of training before making the move across to flooring with the Contract Flooring Association as Training Manager. They were looking for someone to advise CFA members on training needs, develop new training avenues and manage the day-to-day running of their dedicated training centre in Loughborough – the Flooring Industry Training Association (FITA).


Q3


What has been your proudest moment?


During my time within the flooring sector, I’m proud to be helping the industry with a clear training need. Developing and delivering apprenticeships at our training centre was something the CFA members had been asking for long before I became training manager so it was great to set that up to ensure there was ample delivery in the Midlands and across the wider country


Q4


If you could hire anyone to be part of your team,


who would it be and why? A barista, to turn up and make coffee for everyone at the training centre – you can’t beat a posh coffee!


38 | 10 QUESTIONS


10 QUESTIONS WITH… Q5


What was your first job? Aside from summer jobs


What’s the best advice you could give to


someone new coming into


the industry? Always look at the bigger picture, focus on longer-term goals rather than short-term gains. There are so many opportunities with the flooring sector. Whether it is fitting, owning your own business or offering technical/training advice, you can carve out your own place within the industry – something I found as someone new in 2018.


Q6


What’s the first thing you’d buy if you won


the lottery? A box at Derby County and a big house with its own football pitch. I’m a huge football fan whether it’s watching it or playing so the opportunity to upgrade how I do both would be a dream come true.


Q7


If you could have a dinner party with any


three people, dead or alive, who


would you choose and why? Liam Gallagher, I’m massive fan so the opportunity to be in the same room would be enough for me.


Ricky Gervais, I’ve watched or listened to everything he’s made and probably rewatch The Office at least once a year.


Paul Gascoigne, one of my favourite footballers growing up, a real magician on the pitch, off the pitch a different story.


Q8


What did you want to be when you were


growing up? A Ghostbuster at first! When I got older, I always had the idea of becoming an architect. I liked drawing and graphic design but as I came close to finishing school it was clear that path was not the best fit for me at that time.


Q9


What do you think the future holds for flooring?


An opportunity to improve and expand fitting capacity through training and apprenticeships. There


are lots of training organisations and manufacturers offering training to industry and there is no better time to upskill or improve the quality of fitting. Within the CFA we signpost all options in our yearly training guide and I am always asked how to attract fresh blood into the trade. The floorlayer apprenticeship is there ready to be delivered it just needs the talent to fuel it.


Q10


Jason Ashby, CEO of UK Flooring Direct,


asked: What role will digital play in the future across the


commercial flooring sector? I think it’s clear over the past 18 months that digital has grown from strength to strength in the sales and training within the flooring sector. You can already see the set ups some manufacturers have established for digital demonstrations of products and technical support. The CFA training arm FITA has embraced digital for advertising courses and sponsors along with developing training aids and digital notes for training courses.


www.cfa.org.uk


Check out next month’s issue to see what Shaun asked our next industry professional.


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