Trades

Carpentry and joinery is one of several trades which supports the massive industry known as construction - the building of houses, commercial premises (like shops, hotels or offices) and industrial premises (like factories or warehouses). Other trades within construction include bricklaying, and painting and decorating. Skilled tradespeople usually find themselves in high demand - from homeowners as well as industry - so if you invest in your abilities now, you could have a great future ahead!

If you’d like to learn a trade, then this course is a great place to start. All our trades staff are highly skilled and experienced, and fully committed to sharing their expertise and knowledge with you. Ayrshire College is also recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Construction Industry Training Board, so there really is no better place for men and women to come and learn a trade!

While you don't need any formal qualifications or experience for entry to this course, completion of the Semester 1 Course would be an advantage.

You must have a real interest in construction and in particular, painting and decorating. If you are not progressing from the Semester 1 award course you’ll also need to come in for interview.

This is a real practical course which gives you a great introduction to the skill of carpentry and joinery. The focus will be on learning different types of woodworking joints - joining pieces of timber together. You’ll also learn about various aspects of working successfully in a trade.

We’ll help you develop your skills for employment, such as working as part of a team.

Here's just some of what you might be doing:

• You’ll start by getting to know the tools of the trade for measuring, cutting and fixing.
• You’ll then learn to construct basic joints, before moving onto slightly more complex frames and techniques.
• You’ll also learn how to construct and fix hatch linings, including those for lofts or serving.
• You’ll have the chance to put your new skills into action, with a real craft project. This might be in the local community or it might be a project you carry out in college - whatever the project, we’ll make sure employers get to see your project and the new skills you’ve now got.
• Along the way, you’ll explore the construction industry as a whole, the different trades within construction, the huge variety of roles and who does what on a project.
• You’ll also learn about health and safety, to avoid putting yourself or anyone else at risk of an accident.
• You’ll build transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving

When you successfully complete this course, you’ll have the choice of:

• Moving onto a Carpentry & Joinery course at SCQF Level 5
• Seeking to start your career in carpentry and joinery with an apprenticeship