TRA AGM 2023
4th May 2023
The TRA AGM and Conference in April saw the great and the good of the industry join together, to take part in a new format day offering insights into recruitment, business development and social media, and updates on the latest technical, sustainability and safety issues.
Careers and recruitment
Neil Dellar and Kieran O’Keefe from Tresham College explained the many ways in which members can forge links with colleges and schools. They suggested building their brands within colleges by donating excess materials for construction students to practice their skills, and how employers can ask their college to tailor apprentice training to meet the specific needs of their business. See Neil’s presentation here.
Christian Warden spoke about the government-backed platforms Talentview and the Construction Talent Retention Scheme, and how they link in with Go Construct and other industry websites to aid recruitment and help ease the skills gap. He also talked about encouraging people to migrate from other industries to bring their transferable skills into construction. Download his presentation here.
Richard Jarvis, operations director at National Timber Systems urged members to attend regional meetings. He asked members to send their younger staff to the meetings to network and to become better informed about the technical and production issues affecting the industry. He also encouraged suppliers to come along so they could have a deeper understanding about their important place within the supply chain.
Business development
Hannah Cooper, senior account director at LMC showed members how to use LinkedIn to generate new leads. During the session, Hannah mentioned about the importance of optimising personal LinkedIn profiles, how members can make the most of LinkedIn’s features, and gave tips on making new connections on the channel. Download Hannah’s presentation here.
Sustainability
Charlie Law, sustainability director from TDUK covered the drivers for reducing carbon in our operations and how TDUK would support member organisations to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, through the Timber Industry Net Zero Roadmap actions. Download his presentation here.
Technical and Safety
In the TRA’s Safety and Technical workshop the implications of reducing the manual unloading of trussed rafters weight limit was discussed. The session also talked about new recommendations for site unloading and handling of Spandrels, the deflection and vibration limits in the NHBC technical Standards 2023, and the methods for 30-minute fire solutions for three storey ceilings below trusses. Download the presentation here.
Roofscape Design Awards
To kick off the evening’s events, the winners of the first TRA Roofscape Design Awards were announced. The awards recognise and celebrate the highly technical skills required to design trussed rafter roofs, joists, and panels. Find who the winners were here.
