The road to Team USA starts now

By The Coffee Shops®.

The roofing industry builds a national pathway to identify and develop young competitors for the 2027 World Championship for Young Roofers.

The roofing industry is taking another step toward strengthening workforce development through international competition. During a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Jon Goodman of National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and Gary Howes of The Durable Slate Company discussed plans for the United States' participation in the 2027 World Championship for Young Roofers and the creation of a national qualifying process designed to identify Team USA. They outlined how the United States is moving beyond simply participating in the International Federation for the Roofing Trades (IFD) competition and toward creating a sustainable national structure to develop future competitors.

Gary explained why the IFD was formed. “The idea behind it is to create an opportunity for these different associations to network with one another, learn best practices from each other. That could be anything from specifications to test studies, vocation training, different training practices and techniques throughout the different countries,” he said.

In 2024, the NRCA led a U.S. team to compete for the first time in Innsbruck, Austria. Although the team did not earn medals, the experience created something equally valuable: inspiration. Jon explained the mindset of the team as they competed for the first time. “The motivations and the goals that we had set for going to this first competition was to understand we are walking into a world stage and just know that you are going to be blown away by the level of expertise and craftsmanship and discipline that you see there,” he said.

The experience highlighted a significant difference between the United States and many participating nations. According to Jon, most competing countries already have established systems that identify and train talent through national competitions before advancing teams to the world stage. Recognizing that need, the NRCA and its partners began building a similar framework in the United States. Jon outlined their plan for moving forward, sharing, "Earlier this year, we started to put together a national structure for competition to be able to earn a spot on what we call Team USA."

The goal is larger than competition alone. Industry leaders see the effort as a means of elevating craftsmanship, create career pathways and bring greater visibility to young roofing professionals across the country. “We stayed dedicated to the idea we're going to develop our people. And so for us, it was about capitalizing on that training, capitalizing on the craftsmanship,” noted Gary.

As excitement builds for the next championship in Budapest, Hungary in November of 2027, the NRCA is holding tryouts for the next team USA. Those interested can compete at IRE in Las Vegas on February 16-17, 2027.

In the meantime, the IFD is holding their annual connection forum in Vienna, Austria on October 14-15, 2026.

As young roofers across the nation sharpen their techniques, the United States looks forward to participating in a global push for workforce development and cultural exchange across the roofing industry.

Listen to the full podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about the World Championship for Young Roofers.