Local roofing company offers free academy

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A local business wants to raise the roof on the workforce here in the metro with a free, week-long training academy.

“The biggest thing is to bring that educational piece and provide an opportunity to people who may not even know that they have that opportunity,” said Meriah Narro, operations at INVigorate Roofing.

INVigorate Roofing is hosting a GAF Roofing Academy, starting August 14. Jobseekers will get hands-on training on all things roofing.

“[They will learn] All the way into installing, how to be safe on the job site. They are going to learn how to install shingles and why they are installing them that way, how it benefits the homeowner. Every aspect of the roof, all the different parts and they are gonna go through an OSHA 10 certification,” Narro said.

After completing the program, there will be a job fair. Graduates will get a chance to interview and get hired by local roofing contractors.

“The average national roofing pay starts at $19.25 an hour. I think that’s a huge thing in the state of New Mexico and Albuquerque. That is a great starting pay. You can build your life and your assets in a stable industry,” Narro said.

This is the first time INVigorate has done something like this. With it, they also want to diversify their team and hire more women.

“We do have nine women registered and ready to go, so I’m super excited about women being in this industry. We have three women here on our team and we’re hoping to grow that,” Narro stated.

As the roofing industry grows, the goal here is the same.

“The ultimate goal is to get people in jobs and I know a lot of people out here need people to work for them as well,” said Donald Sanchez, the owner of INVigorate Roofing.

It’s not too late to register for the training, either. Contractors interested in hiring people are also encouraged to join the job fair next Friday. For more information, click here.