• Learning is brought to life by working on real live projects through high-quality partnerships creating the perfect balance between education and commercial reality.
• Your practical skills, technical knowledge and confidence will grow by working on projects of increasing complexity free from the additional challenge of design.
• Rigorous professional workshop practice is integrated into the learning.
• The course will be delivered in a professional working environment with very high quality resources from the industry standard workshops and machinery to the experienced teachers.
• You will have your own workbench, hand-tools and the time to practice using them. You will benefit from significant levels of supervision and support in small cohorts of students.
• You will be immersed in the whole process of working with wood – from tree – to timber – to object.
• You will develop a deeper understanding of the environmental impact of our work.
• Our close connections with the craft furniture industry, from start-ups to makers of luxury interiors, will help you to build your own network.
• Our location at the heart of the Sylva Wood Centre with its community orchard, future forest and community of creative craftspeople will provide opportunities to build connections in a beautiful environment.

The Professional Course is specifically designed for:

• Those looking to develop the practical skills and technical knowledge for working with wood.
• Individuals considering a change of career, perhaps seeking a more tangible and mindful experience.
• College graduates who wish to learn professional practice skills and build confidence, experience and speed.
• University graduates who wish to combine their creative skills with a deeper understanding and hands-on experience of craft.
• Those looking to move into employment as a furniture maker or as a springboard into a creative education.

We expect that you will join us with some previous experience of working with wood – that could include a formal qualification but this is certainly not essential. We imagine that you may have attended an evening class or summer school, have worked in an associated field or enjoy building things in your home workspace. The first four weeks of the programme will concentrate on basic skills and workshop inductions – this period has been designed to level out some of the variations in your previous experience and give everyone a strong foundation from which to move forwards.

A willingness to learn, enthusiasm for the subject and desire to work practically are all key attributes that we expect everyone to bring.

The programme is broken into three core areas of learning: introductory sessions, technical knowledge and batch production projects. These are complemented with opportunities to visit our friends in industry (both large and small), to connect with our Wood Centre community and engage with our environmental work. We recognise you will have your own learning style and we will use a combination of delivery methods to support you. These will include demonstrations, one-to-one guidance, group work, seminars, talks and two-way feedback to constantly improve your experience.

Introductory sessions give all participants initial training in the safe use of woodworking equipment. Essential health and safety training is delivered in three specific areas: hand tools, power tools and woodworking machinery. Each element will be delivered in a small group through demonstration with the opportunity to practice.  Working safely and professionally is crucial from the very start and will be reinforced consistently.  The environmental impact of our work is highly important and we will consider timber sourcing, energy efficiency and forestry practice.

Hand skills will include sharpening and preparation of tools, hand-planing, joint cutting and assembly.

Power tools will include routers, biscuit and domino jointers, track saw and sanders.

The wood machinery training will include preparation of solid timber and composite panels. It will include circular saws, band-saw, planers, panel saw, and spindle moulder.

Technical knowledge will be shared in two ways. Initially through a series of classroom-based seminars that form the foundation for considerable further learning through real live projects. Subjects will range from developing an understanding of our chosen materials to furniture construction techniques and surface finishing to production planning.

The learning will be brought to life by working on live commercial batch production projects. We will develop a range of increasingly complex projects with our partner designers and retailers. We will ensure that a sensible balance of products is maintained for every cohort of participants to ensure that our curriculum of skills development is fully met.

Professional practice is at the heart of all learning and through the live projects you will learn about, furniture construction/assembly, design for manufacture, jig and process design, advanced wood machining, machine maintenance and quality control. Our deadlines will take on a commercial significance. We believe that practical skills are developed most effectively through repetition to reinforce the learning.

It is our preference to work with homegrown timber when making products however composite panels and other materials are used when necessary.

By predominantly focussing on craft skills and professional practice we believe that graduates of this programme are perfectly placed to confidently move into furniture making roles within established businesses.

The foundation of technical knowledge and practical experience can form the perfect springboard into the study of design.

We also understand that some participants will be keen to explore self-employment and we hope to continue to support them through our business support opportunities on site. These include bench renting and business incubation workshop spaces as well as mentoring support.