What does a trainee carpenter do in a day?

When you are training to become a carpenter, no two days will look the same, but there are some typical things that you will be involved in, so here’s a guide to what your day may look like.

An early start to the day

Carpenters often start early as they will need to go over the various projects and tasks to be worked on or completed that day. You may begin work as early as 7am.

Meetings and task setting

Apprentices will usually attend meetings between the qualified carpenters and other people working on the site or at the workshop that day so they can find out which tasks they will be assisting with. They will also spend time gathering the correct tools for the work.

See the 101 carpentry basics to get an idea of the tasks you’ll be doing.

Assisting and shadowing

You will either help others with work that needs to be done or ‘shadow’, which is watching a task so that you can learn how to safely complete it on your own later. Both are important for learning every aspect of carpentry and you may be tested on theory later as part of your study portion of your apprenticeship.

A well-needed lunch break

You will get a lunch break when you can rest and refuel with other apprentices and your colleagues. You may have other breaks during the day, but this will be decided by your employer.

On the job learning

You’ll be learning a lot during your apprenticeship, both during the study portion and on the job. When you’re learning on the job this can include showing your boss or colleagues that you can complete tasks or being shown how to operate a new kind of tool. It’s likely to be a physical learning exercise, whereas when you are learning at your college or training facility it will be in the form of presentations, portfolios, units of assessment and exams.

On-site maintenance

Carpentry apprentices will perform on-site maintenance, helping to check over projects, tasks, and fixtures and fittings for health & safety and quality. This is an important part of the role as it means you’ll know how things you have made or helped to make work and the quality expected of you.