There is an argument that joiners are born not made. The suggestion is that although joiners can be trained, natural skills will make the process much easier. Certainly, not everyone can become a joiner because it requires a level of skill, motivation, determination and hard work that may be beyond a lot of people. However, if you believe that you have what it takes to be a joiner, there are a number of ways that you can achieve your goal.
One of the best things about joinery is that you don’t necessarily need to have formal qualifications. This is great news for those who have excellent manual labour skills but never had the opportunity to finish their education. Instead of having to go back to school, you can earn money straight away by becoming a joiner’s mate. A joinery will not hire a full-time joiner unless he shows that he has some experience in the job as an understudy.
There are also various apprentice schemes in the UK but to be accepted, you need to have GCSE’s in subjects such as English, maths and design. Qualifications from vocational schools are often accepted as an equivalent educational qualification. If you believe that education is your best chance of becoming a joiner, there are dozens of colleges in the UK that have joinery courses at post-secondary level. An example of this kind of qualification is a City & Guilds Award. However, it should be noted that most employers still ask for experience on top of this educational achievement.
If you wish to steadily move up the rankings in the field of joinery, you could look for NVQ qualifications which can be achieved on the job. An example of one of these qualifications is Wood Occupations which has three different levels. There are several options on this particular course including Wheelwrighting (marking out, creating and assembling joinery products), bench work (producing joinery items) and shop fitting (manufacturing and installing frames internally and externally).
If you are looking to become a joiner on a site, you will need to have a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card. You need to pass stringent health and safety assessments and have a qualification which is equivalent to an NVQ in order to gain a CSCS card. If you gain this card, your employment prospects will rapidly increase.
If you are looking to become a joiner, you have to be prepared for the physical and mental demands of the job. As you will be measuring and calculating angles, you need to have a high level of mathematical skill, especially in the fields of geometry and trigonometry. You must be prepared to work long hours while keeping up a high level of energy.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways in which you can become a joiner. Although it is a demanding job, those with a love of working with wooden structures wouldn’t choose another job. It offers the kind of freedom that an office job does not.