Automated Woodworking Processes - British Columbia Institute of TechnologyWoodworking Education in CanadaCarpentry and Woodworking Programs -- Community College Programs
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Automated Woodworking Processes - British Columbia Institute of Technology The 25-week Automated Woodworking Processes Certificate offered at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), provides students with 'a thorough exposure to the practical and theoretical elements of today's high-tech woodworking skills.' The Program includes Associated Non-Computerization Equipment, CNC Sawing, Routing, and Drilling, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computer-Aided Machining (CAM), Job-Shadowing, Optimization Software, Tooling and Hardware, and Work Experience. To graduate from the Program, students must successfully complete all classes and earn at least a 70 percent grade point average (GPA) 'in each of the theory and practical projects courses.' Graduates of the program may pursue employment, career advancement, and/or further educational opportunities in woodworking or related fields. Career-wise, woodworkers are most often employed indoors in various aspects of the construction, wood, and wood products manufacturing industries. Employers of woodworkers may include, for example, companies, contractors, custom or repair shops, hardware stores, lumberyards, manufacturers, and/or private individuals. Some woodworkers may pursue self-employment options. Among the numerous areas in which cabinetmakers may work include cabinetmaking, design operations, furniture or other wood products manufacturing, interior finishing and design, repair, restoration, renovation, and/or sales. Woodworkers 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 as woodworkers 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 under the direction of a certified, journeyperson member of the trade one is learning for a specified amount of time. A journeyperson is an individual who has earned the standards of practice of his/her trade. Graduates of the Automated Woodworking Processes program may qualify for advanced credits towards 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. Moreover, persons who attain journeyperson status may, after accruing several years of experience beyond the apprenticeship, become supervisors, trainers, and/or educators of their respective trades. Potential applicants may apply for admission to the Automated Woodworking Processes Certificate in one of three ways. Firstly, applicants who possess basic computer literacy and have completed Communications 12 or English 12 or English-language proficiency, Grade 11 Mathematics (Accounting 11 is not accepted), and previous shop or woodworking experience may apply for direct entry into the Program. A BCIT pretest, English and Math assessment tests or Trades Pretest, is acceptable in lieu of English and Mathematics. BCIT reserves the right to have an applicant undergo a Chief Instructor interview before rendering a final decision regarding his/her application. Commencing in August 2007, applicants will no longer need to write the final examinations for Grade 12 Mathematics and Science courses for admission to programs that require those classes. However, final exam marks will still be needed for Grade 12 Communications, English, and Professional Communications courses. Secondly, students are eligible for entry into the Program via the Fresh Start Program. The latter 'is a full-time technical literacy program' providing students aspiring 'to enter a trades/technical program at BCIT' with the necessary 'academic upgrading in an applied setting' to do so. Thirdly, female students may apply to the Program through the Trades Discovery and Trades Discovery for Women. The latter 'are full-time programs designed to prepare participants to successfully enter and complete a Trades Training program.'
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