Finding your path into the industry

By Emma Peterson. 

It can be intimidating to enter a new profession, but the roofing community wants new people to get involved. 

In an episode of MetalTalk™, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Kelli Nolden with DoneRite Home Maintenance, Michelle Kettering with LTD Exteriors and John Sheridan from Sheridan Metal Resources at METALCON. Nicole and Michelle both got into the trades later in life and shared some insight into their paths.  

Michelle explained some of the challenges she faced entering the field, saying, “I didn't know the machinery, I didn't know the equipment. It was something completely new to me. It was intimidating.” But she found her path because she was given ample support and aid. One of the people who offered this was John, who taught her. She explained, “Having the support and people like John that take that intimidation factor out of it for you, they walk you through it.” 

Kelli was also trained by John, and she emphasized that the process was not incredibly complicated, “The first day, John and I set out the tools and he explained tools to me the first half of the day. The next morning he showed me how to run the panels, how to do the ends, how to do this, that, and I had everything.” John chimed in, saying that they were ready to hit the roof the next day, “She had everything lined up and coming at us. It was perfect.” 

Both their journeys show the power of training and mentorship. Currently, Michelle sees the main issue as getting the word out, especially to women as they are not typically a part of the industry. Michelle emphasized that they actively want to hire inexperienced people so they can help them find the right path in the industry for them. John added that there are benefits to coming in without a background, “They're a clean slate. They haven't developed any bad habits and they're willing to learn. And they've been some of the best students I've had.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the webinar to learn more about how the industry is expanding.