5 Tips for a Carpentry Apprentice
Are you considering doing a carpentry apprenticeship?
A carpenter apprentice is a very rewarding job and can lead to an exciting career in building and construction.
If you’re interested in carpentry but not sure how to get started, read this article for our top 5 tips for a carpentry apprentice.
1. Know what to expect
You probably already know that a carpenter, also known as a “chippy,” is someone who builds structures, mostly from timber.
Perhaps you also knew that there are two main types of carpenters, including carpenters who work onsite to build structures like housing frames, and joiners who build things like cabinets in a workshop.
So what is a carpentry apprentice exactly?
A carpenter’s apprentice is someone who studies carpentry in a certificate 3 by night and practices their learnings at a full-time job by day.
If you study a CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry, you can learn the skills to be either carpenter or a joiner, and you will specialise in one of them during your apprenticeship.
When you start work as an apprentice working for a fully qualified carpenter, you will begin with easy tasks and gradually work your way up to more advanced tasks.
2. Find out if it’s right for you
If you’re interested in getting a career in building and construction, then a certificate 3 and a carpentry apprenticeship is a great place to start.
This is because carpneter’s apprenticeship gives you an excellent foundation in the basics of building and construction.
A lot of people will start out as carpentry apprentices and eventually step up from being a tradie to earn a higher salary as a site supervisor or a registered builder.
With a certificate III in carpentry, you could go on to do a Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (CPC40120) which teaches you how to go beyond carpentry and become a self-employed builder or manager.
With a certificate 3 and apprenticeship under your belt, you could even go on to do a Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) (CPC50220), which qualifies you to do manager roles on even bigger projects.
As you can see, a certificate 3 in carpentry is a pathway to higher qualifications and high paying jobs.
Not sure if being a carpenter apprentice is right for you?
You can weigh up carpentry against other trades by doing what’s called a pre-apprenticeship.
The pre-apprenticeship for building and construction is called the CPC20211 Certificate II in Construction Pathways and it gives you an introduction to a few different trades.
Do this pre-apprenticeship to find out whether a certificate 3 in carpentry is right for you.
3. Do a Certificate III in Carpentry
You might be wondering whether a certificate 3 is really needed to become a carpenter apprentice.
While a certificate 3 is not strictly required to become a carpenter or carpenter’s apprentice, you might find it very hard to get an apprenticeship without it.
The first reason for this is because the certificate III in carpentry is one of the best ways to learn the trade with experienced and qualified carpenters.
The second reason is because employers usually prefer to take on apprentices that are doing formal training so that they can be sure they’re getting highly skilled and qualified workers.
In other words, if you were to look for an apprenticeship or a job as a carpenter without a cert 3, you’ll be competing against a lot of people who are getting or already have cert 3s.
When you study your certificate 3 at a building school like Builders Academy Australia, we connect you with an apprenticeship close to your home.
Having trained over 8000 tradies, we’ve got a lot of industry connections across Victoria and regularly help our students get apprenticeships with excellent employers.
4. Study at a trusted school
There is no better way to do your certificate III in carpentry and your carpenter’s apprenticeship than with a trusted school.
Builders Academy Australia is a registered training provider and one of the biggest schools for building and construction courses in the country.
We’ve got a proven track record of training up Victorian tradies, getting them qualified with certificates and diplomas, and helping them kick start their rewarding careers.
5. Learn with real builders
At Builders Academy Australia, our motto is “Builders training builders.”
We believe that only experienced builders should be teaching the next generation, so all of our trainers have hands-on industry experience.
Our builder trainers have gone through the same learning process as you, which is why they’re the best people to teach you and answer your questions.
You’ll love studying with our down-to-earth and approachable trainers with their impressive knowledge of the building trades.Considering a certificate III and carpentry apprenticeship? Find out if you’re eligible for government funding by calling us on 1300 534 363 (LEGEND), or complete the online form and one of our course advisors will get in touch soon.