How to become Wood machinist
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
College
You can take a college course that would teach you some of the skills needed to get a trainee wood machinist position.
Courses include:
- basic construction skills
- carpentry and joinery
- wood machining
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
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Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, such as:
- Wood Product Manufacturing Operative
- Carpentry and Joinery
If you want to work in the furniture industry you could do a Furniture Manufacturing Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
These take around 2 years to complete and are a mix of on-the-job training with study time spent off-site.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
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Work
You could start as a labourer in construction, or an assistant with a wood products or furniture manufacturing company.
You could then specialise in machining work after doing on-the-job training.
Direct Application
You could apply directly to work as a wood machinist with companies that make timber products. You'll usually need experience of working with manufacturing machinery, CNC machine tools or bench joinery.
Further information
You can learn more about how to become a wood machinist from Go Construct.