HOW TO BECOME A CARPENTER IN LIVERPOOL?

Carpentry is a highly skilled profession playing a crucial role in the construction industry. If you have a passion for working with your hands, this is a profession you should consider. We take a look at how to become a Carpenter in Liverpool. 

A building isn’t all about bricks and mortar.

Timber is an essential part of just about every structure. Carpenters are responsible for shaping and assembling various structures made of wood. They can be found working in construction companies, for contractors, or woodworking firms. Some are self-employed carpenters. Carpenters and joiners on a construction site prepare wood and put it into place in the building. It’s a skilled job that utilises special tools and often involves many different kinds of wood. 

Carpentry skills are used in a wide variety of ways from general carpentry through to joinery and even specialist professions such as cabinet makers that craft furniture.

Carpentry in the construction sector is physically demanding work.

You can expect to spend long hours on your feet. You’ll also be lifting heavy materials and working outdoors in various weather conditions. The work requires precision, attention to detail and often the ability to adapt to changing project requirements. You’ll also need to be good at maths because you’ll be calculating angles and measurements.

You don’t need a formal education to be a carpenter.

However, many Carpenters develop and enhance their skills with training from local colleges. They provide the theoretical knowledge needed in the construction industry, often increasing employment opportunities. You’ll learn how to read blueprints, understand the maths needed to cut wood to size and shape and to select the best woodworking techniques to use.

Across the Liverpool City Region there are several colleges that offer training. These include City Of Liverpool College, Wirral Met, Riverside College and Hugh Baird.  

Talking to City of Liverpool College, they offer a range of courses from getting started to enhancing your skills. A Carpentry & Joinery – Level 1 Extended Certificate is for people with no prior experience and are not employed. It develops key skills from what an employer will expect of you through to practical workshop sessions to develop your skills.  A level 2 course is aimed at students who have a relevant Level 1 qualification or who are 19 or over. It helps students find an entry route into their chosen trade area. The course is also suitable for mature students or those with some experience in their chosen trade.

One of the most effective ways to become a skilled carpenter is through an apprenticeship.

You’ll get hands-on training with experienced professionals in addition to the knowledge you need through a college or university. It’ll give you a qualification too. It will also keep you up to date with the digital tools now being used in the trade to enhance efficiency in building projects across the Liverpool City Region.

There are two career pathways to choose from on a Carpentry and Joinery apprenticeship.

These are Site Carpentry and Architectural Joinery. As a Site Carpenter you’ll be shaping and cutting materials and installing them. These could be partitions, doors, staircases, window frames, mouldings and timber floor coverings. You’ll need a head for heights as you could also be erecting structural components like floor joists and roofs.

If you choose the Architectural Joinery route, you’ll most likely find yourself in a workshop producing complex building components. You’ll be setting out, marking out and producing assembled components. So, you’ll be trained to use a full range of woodworking machines. You’ll be trained on how to use modern technology including software programming used for architectural joinery work and how to use CAD to produce drawings. 

If you enjoy using your hands, have good hand and eye co-ordination and like being part of a team then a carpenter or joiner could be the ideal role for you.