How to become a carpenter? - Start a City & Guilds course!

A carpenters job is to make and fit the wooden fixtures & fittings around the home or commercial premises. Typically this will include roof trusses, floorboards, staircases, door frames & doors, kitchen & bathroom fittings as well as partition walls.

Carpenters can work as part of a small team or on their own. As a carpenter your work may fall into any of the following areas:

• First Fixing: The fitting of the wooden structures, including:
  roof and floor joists, roof trusses, staircases, door and window frames etc.
• Second Fixing: The fitting of doors and the surrounds, skirting boards and cupboards.
• Shop fitting: The fitting of commercial buildings such as
  Supermarkets, offices and other buildings

When you are a carpenter you might be employed or self-employed and your work may vary from large commercial projects or small scale domestic carpentry jobs.

Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)

The CSCS was established in 1995 with the objective of helping the construction industry to get quality up, accidents down and cowboy builders out.

More and more employers are now requiring their staff to have this card as proof of competence, you can get this card once you have completed your carpentry course and have gained your NVQ in carpentry by applying on the Schemes web site: CSCS Card
The card costs £25 and it costs £17.50 to sit the health and safety test.

Read more about: Carpentry qualifications »