Carpentry/Joinery - Okanagan CollegeCarpentry Education in CanadaCarpentry and Woodworking Programs -- Community College Programs
PROGRAM WEBSITE
Carpentry/Joinery - Okanagan College Okanagan College's 30-week Carpentry/Joinery program provides students with the knowledge and skills to pursue entry-level employment and/or an apprenticeship in carpentry and/or joiner, or related professions. The Program is primarily designed to equip students with 'the skills needed to begin working as carpentry or joinery apprentices,' and 'apprenticeship technical training credit for level one in both Carpentry and Joinery will be granted upon successful completion of this program.' Furthermore, 'apprenticeship practical training credit may also be granted by the employer as a result of prior practical experience.' Among the major topics to be covered by the Program are Construct Cabinets, Frame Floor, Walls and Roof, Identify and Use Materials, Read, Interpret, Sketch, and Draw Specifications, Safe Work Practices, Site Layout, Build Concrete Forms, Trades Mathematics, Use of Carpentry Tools and Equipment, and Use Joinery Tools and Equipment. Students will also write Level 1 apprenticeship examinations for Carpentry and Joinery and thus can qualify for advanced standing into an apprenticeship program. Students must earn at least 70 percent in each component of the Program in order to pass. To be eligible for admission to the Carpentry/Joinery program, applicants must either possess a high school diploma, or equivalent, or qualify to apply via mature student status. Mature applicants must be 19 years of age or over and have been 'out of full time high school for at least one year prior to the start of classes.' All prospective students must also attain 'satisfactory standing in basic mathematics and reading tests.' Graduates of the Program may pursue various employment, career advancement, and/or educational opportunities in carpentry, joinery, or perhaps a related area. Career-wise, carpenters are usually employed in various aspects of the construction industry often working on commercial/industrial, maintenance, or residential projects. Some may also pursue jobs in the wood and wood products manufacturing industries. Common employers include construction companies, furniture and cabinet manufacturers, general contractors, and residential and ICI sectors. Some carpenters may prefer to become self-employment and/or establish their own companies. The precise work a carpenter performs on any given project is determined by the specific requirements of that project. Some carpenters, though, specialize in one or a limited number of tasks demanded of their craft. For example, some carpenters may focus on basements, exterior and/or interior finishing, flooring, form and/or frame construction, or stair construction, among others. Joiners, on the other hand, are most often employed indoors in various aspects of the construction, wood, and wood products manufacturing industries. Employers of joiners may include, for example, by companies, contractors, custom or repair shops, hardware stores, interior designers, lumber yards, manufacturers, and/or private individuals. Some joiners may pursue self employment options. Among the numerous areas in which joiners may work include design operations, designing, installing, and/or manufacturing wooden cabinets, furniture, and various fixtures, interior finishing and design, repair, restoration, renovation, and/or sales. Joiners can work up to 40 hours per week or more, depending upon demand for their services and products, and it is not unusual for them to labour in a shop environment in which they are exposed to high levels of noise, various dust particles, and chemicals, especially from paint. Individuals who aspire to advance their careers in carpentry, joinery, or a related field may be interested in pursuing further educational opportunities to refine and enhance their abilities, particularly via an apprenticeship. The latter is a method of learning a trade through a combination of periods of in-class, technical/theoretical education and periods of paid, on-the-job training. During the latter portions of an apprenticeship, the student (apprentice) will work, in an indentured capacity, under the direction of a certified, journeyperson member of the trade one is learning. A journeyperson is an individual who has earned the standards of practice of his/her trade, typically via the completion of an apprenticeship. The advantage of completing an apprenticeship is not only that one acquires in-depth knowledge and skills in a trade but also that, within the latter, one's career opportunities and salary potential are normally increased. Furthermore, once an individual has obtained journeyperson status, he/she may be eligible to have his/her certification as such endorsed by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program (Red Seal). The latter enables the journeyperson to practice his/her trade throughout Canada, provided the trade is designated in that locale, without undergoing further examinations. Individuals who earn journeyperson status may, after obtaining several years of experience beyond an apprenticeship, become educators, supervisors, and/or trainers of their respective trades.
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