Are you considering undertaking a carpentry apprenticeship? While the road may seem long, the truth is that a carpentry apprenticeship in the manufacturing trade is one of the most rewarding trades you can undertake. We wanted to clear up any beliefs about going into this trade and make it simple for you to get the information you need.
In this article, we’ll be looking at what a carpentry apprenticeship entails and what kind of work you can expect to be doing. We will also look at what you’re going to do on the job and in the classroom, and what type of career you can expect to have from this trade.
Want to know more about our carpentry apprenticeships? Explore your options here!
What is a carpentry apprenticeship?
A carpentry apprenticeship, as with any type of apprenticeship, sees you undertaking on-the-job work and training alongside a qualified professional. You learn from them and they teach you their trade. You also do structured learning in a classroom setting with All Trades Queensland.
The qualification you need to be a carpenter might be a Certificate III in Carpentry. This learning will give you the skills and foundation you need to perform the duties of a carpenter while your on-the-job training gives you the knowledge you need to use tools, equipment, and perform tasks.
You do not need to have any formal or informal prior training in order to start your carpentry apprenticeship. But you may like to do a pre-apprenticeship course which gives you a foundation of understanding terminology, tools, and practices. While this course is not required, it does give you a bit of an edge over non-trained apprentices.
What do carpentry apprentices do?
You’re going to be working with your hands and building structures from timber, stone, and other types of building materials. You will be spending time on construction sites and working with power and hand tools and doing jobs like:
- Building wall frames and roofs
- Measuring and calculating building materials
- Nailing, cutting, drilling, and sawing
- Assembling items which have been cut
- Using glue, nails, and other fixing materials
- Measuring and calculating
Your qualification will take three years of full time work and study to complete. You will be expected to attend 90 classes (which is a total of 30 classes each week) and do around two hours of study per week. You will also need to be able to show your skills through written assignments and also practical work.
How much will I get paid?
You are going to be earning while you learn and the best part is that you will not have any student debt in place when you finish your qualification! That’s pretty amazing, considering the fact that most students have a whopping debt of upwards of $30,000 to pay off when they finish their degrees.
You can expect to earn anywhere between $15 to $20 an hour when you start out, and this is only going to increase as you go through the stages of qualification. Once you are qualified, there is really no telling how much you’re going to be able to earn – you can work for yourself, or you can work for someone else.
Your future as a chippie
As an apprentice carpenter you can expect to be employed and in demand as a professional. Our construction industry is evolving, and even while the demand for cheaper building materials increases, so too does the demand for high quality work which is completed to a high standard.
Our population is growing and alongside that, there’s increasing demand for qualified carpenters who know what they are doing. In our profession, you have the capacity to make a real difference and to use your skills to better yourself, your family, and our country.
You can also get further qualifications and become a master builder, or work towards employment as a project supervisor, a building manager, a project manager, or a foreperson.
You will work with a range of builders, suppliers and learn all about decking maintenance tips.
Get the ball rolling today
We would love to help you get started, and as a carpentry apprentice, there’s so much you can look forward to.
We want you to hit the ground running, so we pair our apprentices with tradespeople who are keen to train and educate the future carpenters of tomorrow.
