What do you imagine a day in the life of a carpenter to be? Well be prepared to find out some surprising and little known facts about carpentry apprenticeship courses and of course, a career in carpentry.
1. Opportunity To Work In a London Palace
Riteche Meggi from London was given the fantastic opportunity by College of North West London (CNWL) to work in Kensington and Hampton Court Palaces and the infamous Tower of London during a two year carpentry apprenticeship.
Despite having no prior practical experience of carpentry, Riteche was soon completing intricate tasks, including the restoration of 18th Century windows. Riteche credits his college tutors with helping him ‘to choose the right tools for the job’, and for the practical experience of how to manage complex tasks.
After leaving school at 16 Riteche decided to opt for a course in carpentry at College of North West London, ‘I wanted to uphold the family tradition, both my father and grandfather were skilled carpenters and I wanted to follow in their footsteps’.
Nasir Gilani of Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) oversaw Riteche’s placement and describes him as a ‘fantastic recruit’. HRP was delighted to employ apprentices from the College of North West London ‘the range of specialisms that the College teaches meets our requirements and business needs and in turn we can benefit from the high calibre of eager students’.
2. Earn More Than £30k
The average salary for a carpenter in the UK is £30,000* (*mysalary.co.uk). Plus there are employment opportunities for everyone, from school leavers to adults thinking about a career change.
As with many professions, it’s essential to train with top people, learn on the job, and make the right contacts as an apprentice.
3. Girls Allowed
When the word carpenter crops us, many people think of this as being a male trade, however this is changing. An increasing number of women are joining the traditionally male dominated profession.
Melanie Woods from London has been a carpenter for 10 years, but says many people do still comment ‘wow, that’s unusual’. Melanie is quick to confirm ‘it’s not actually – there are a lot of us now!’. She worked in a high street bank and as a musician, before finding her passion in carpentry and now makes striking fitted furniture.
4. Musician’s Hands
Are you good with your hands? Creatively minded? It’s a little known fact that many musicians, especially drummers, often turn their hand to carpentry. The two skills both involve being good with your hands. But fortunately with carpentry, there’s no such thing as a wrong note!
Some carpenters specialise in bespoke or artisan-style woodwork designs. These provide the perfect platform to showcase their creative flair and skill.
5. Be Your Own Boss
Did you know you can pick and choose the jobs you take by being self-employed? Jonny Burrow, 34, became a carpenter at the age of 28 after a three-year carpentry and joinery course.
If you’ve got a head for problem solving, a passion for creating new designs or an interest in craftsmanship, Jonny encourages more people to think of carpentry and joinery.
Careers in carpentry are highly diverse with a large number of routes from which to choose. Options available include:
- Working on large scale construction industry
- Fitting out rooms in new housing projects
- Shopfitting retail sector and constructing display material
- Or making unique pieces or woodwork.
Interested in finding out more about carpentry? The College of North West London offers a range of Carpentry courses which include a combined Carpentry and Joinery qualification and a varied range of apprenticeships.
Visit the College of North West London website to ask questions, find out about funding and discover what you might be working on.