Job Overview
ABOUT THE COURSE
The broad purpose of the apprenticeship is working with building materials (most often wood) to create and install building components. This typically involves shaping and cutting materials, installing finished materials like partitions, doors, staircases, window frames, moldings, timber floor coverings, and erecting structural components such as floor joists and roofs. All work needs to be carried out safely, using the appropriate tools and to the quality specified.
This apprenticeship includes two different options and people will either work on a construction site as a Site Carpenter or in a workshop as an Architectural Joiner.
A Site Carpenter will prepare and install basic building components e.g. doors, straight staircases, walls, and floor units, and erect structural carpentry and roof structures on a building site or on domestic and commercial premises.
An Architectural Joiner will produce building components by setting out, marking out, and manufacturing basic architectural products, including doors, windows, straight staircases, and associated ironmongery.
WHAT YOU’LL STUDY
You will cover the following topics in this apprenticeship:
- The principles of environment, health, safety and welfare and how they must be applied in relation to their work and to others. eg electrical safety, storage of materials, accident & emergency procedures
- The responsibilities under current legislation and official guidance to undertake the work e.g. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, Manual Handling and Working at Height Regulations.
- How to use health and safety control equipment including personal protective equipment (PPE), respiratory protective equipment (RPE), local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
- The principles of building construction terminology and components including foundations, roofs, walls, floors, utilities and services, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and environmental and sustainability considerations
- How to interpret and produce relevant information from drawings, specifications and work instructions including the basic principles of Computer Aided Design (CAD)
- How to estimate resource quantities to carry out work eg quantity of fixings, length of timber, sheet materials
- The characteristics, quality, uses, sustainability, limitations and defects associated with timber and timber-based products and components, such as American and selected African hardwood, Scandinavian standards for softwood, MDF, plywoods, home grown carcassing, manufactured timbers, adhesives and mastics.
- Hand Tools and Power Tools.
- Site Carpenter
- Architectural Joiner
For full details on the apprenticeship specifications please visit the Institute of Apprenticeships
WHAT WILL I NEED?
You will need:
- To be aged 16 or older
- To be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week with 20% of your normal working hours set aside for you to complete your training and study
- Apprentices without Level 1 English and Maths will need to achieve this level whilst on the apprenticeship, apprentices without Level 2 English and Maths will need to take (attempt) the tests for this level prior to taking the end-point assessment. .
All applicants must have an interview and assessment in English and Maths to confirm that the apprenticeship is suitable for them.
Employers may also set additional entry requirements, as a prerequisite to working with them.
WHAT THE COURSE LEADS TO
On completion of this course, you can progress onto further study in this field or into a career in the construction sector.
