My Story
In this section you can hear stories of those already in the industry, the career choices they have made and the type of work they do within their woodworking company.
Click on any of our wonderful apprentices below and see how you could be like them and get a great career.
Expanding Horizons
Alice Kreuzburg
22, Business Administration, Tompkins
We got very little advice about apprenticeships at school. We were made to think they were just for plumbers! I’d no idea you could do an apprenticeship in Business Administration.
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Transforming Timber
Adam Smyth
21, Joinery, Westgate Joinery, Specialist Joinery (South) Ltd
If you like hand-skills then get into joinery. You transform timber into windows, doors, staircases, cabinets – it’s a very versatile job. I now go out on site to fit things I make, and see the houses they go into.
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Success is in your own hands
Luke Parry
24, Joinery Estimator, Oakwrights Bath Ltd
I enjoy what I do because it's a challenging environment where I’m always learning new skills. Continuing to learn puts you in a good position to progress your career. You are responsible for your own success, and by working hard there are plenty of opportunities to move up the ladder.
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Seeing the whole job through
Corey Matthews-Turner
19, Joiner, Parker & Highland Joinery
The best thing about joinery is seeing the whole job through. You get the wood in and you’re able to work on it all the way to it becoming a finished product, and sometimes even to fitting it into a building. You don’t get that in other jobs.
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Joining a winning team
Tom McKillop
21, Joiner, Tompkins Wood
On leaving school I looked around and decided I wanted to do joinery as I enjoy making things and seeing the results from what I do. At college, we were told about all the career options, like plumbing for example, but in each of them you ended up as a one-man-band. I wanted to be part of a team, so joinery felt like it would give me that option.
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