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Apprentice Carpenter & Joiner
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Start your career in bespoke timber joinery and carpentry
Join a small, respected Leiston-based Suffolk business making handmade Accoya and oak windows, doors, and staircases. Learn a real trade hands-on, with day release to college.
About the Role
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
As our apprentice, you will work alongside the owner and a qualified joiner, learning both bench joinery in the workshop and carpentry and fitting work on-site. Day to day, you will help to:
- Measure, mark out, and prepare timber
- Cut basic and advanced joints
- Assemble doors, frames, units, and staircase components
- Fit ironmongery such as locks, hinges, and handles
- Carry out on-site carpentry and fitting
- Keep the workshop, tools, and machinery clean and safe
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Course Contents
- Comply with health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Identify and use safety control equipment, for example, RPE, dust suppression, PPE, and LEV.
- Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling, and disposal.
- Comply with industry regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Prepare and maintain a safe working area.
- Interpret and use information from drawings and specifications.
- Estimate required materials and produce a cutting list.
- Verbally communicate with others, applying construction terminology.
- Select, use, and store hand tools.
- Select, use, and store power tools.
- Maintain and sharpen hand tools.
- Produce jigs.
- Identifies well-being support available to self and others.
Site Carpenter
- Apply first fix techniques and practices for:
- Structural carcassing (load bearing studwork)
- Straight timber or metal partition walls
- Floor joists
- Floor joist coverings
- Straight flights of stairs
- Install structural fixings.
- Size timber from sizing tables.
- Apply site second fix techniques and practices for:
- Service encasement
- Cladding
- Wall and floor units and fitments
- Handrails and spindles to straight flights of stairs
- Internal and external doors
- Skirting boards and architrave
- Window boards
- Apply site carpenter techniques and practices to construction of rafter roofs, including trussed (prefabricated) and traditional (built on site) including the construction of verge, eaves, and fitting loft access.
- Use and store laser levels, for example, cross-line laser.
- Form connections, for example, using joints, nails, screws, bolts, and adhesive.
- Apply measuring, marking out, cutting (square and angled), mitring, hinging, and recessing techniques.
- Carrying out splicing and scribing techniques.
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Architectural Joiner
- Produce setting out details, including setting rods, and mark out for timber products.
- Produce basic woodworking joints including dovetail, bridal, mortise and tenon, and halving.
- Form connections using dowels, biscuit, staples, and adhesives.
- Apply techniques and practices to the manufacture and assembly of a timber window with casement including glazing rebates and associated ironmongery.
- Apply manufacture and assembly techniques for first fix products:
- Straight staircases
- Door frames and linings
- Apply manufacture and assembly techniques for second fix products:
- Timber doors
- Wall and floor units
- Timber mouldings
- Staircase spindles and balustrades
- Fit ironmongery including door locks, door handles, door hinges, latches, and draw runners.
- Inspect, prepare, and operate fixed machinery.
Requirements
You will spend one day a week at Suffolk New College working towards your Carpentry & Joinery Level 2 qualification, and the rest of the week learning on the job with us. All tools and equipment are provided.
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Desirable Qualifications
- GCSE in:
- English or Equivalent (grade A-C or 9-4)
- Maths or Equivalent (grade A-C or 9-4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills and Attributes
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer care skills
- Presentation skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Enjoys working with hands
- Reliable
- Timekeeping
- Punctual
- Keen to learn
- Pride in work
- Practical
- Willing to learn
- Good work ethic
Location
You must be able to get to Leiston each morning. We operate out of Leiston and can take you to the workshop from there.
About the Company
MacIntyre Carpentry & Joinery is a small bespoke joinery business based in Leiston on the Suffolk Heritage Coast. We hand-make timber windows, doors, gates, staircases, and furniture in Accoya and oak, mostly manufactured in our workshop, and we also carry out a good deal of on-site carpentry — bridging the gap between joinery and carpentry — often on period and listed buildings.
Career Progression
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay [here](opens in new tab).
On completing the Level 2 apprenticeship, you could progress to a Level 3 apprenticeship and on to a permanent, skilled position as a qualified carpenter and joiner. For the right person, there is a genuine long-term career here, learning the full craft of bespoke timber joinery.
Contact Information
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE
Catherine Townsend
apprenticeshipapplication@suffolk.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000041262.
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