My name is Reuben, and I am currently working as an apprentice carpenter at Selwood Housing to complete my Level 2 Site Carpentry qualification.
I’ve been in this role for about five months. I started at Selwood Housing working in the kitchens team and am now working as part of the FRA (fire door) team.
A typical day as an apprentice carpenter in the fire door team includes, getting picked up from my bus stop at 8am, then driving to a variety of properties throughout the day. We check that fire doors are up to the legal standard, adjust doors if needed and also work with mechanical door closers (which must close behind you within 20 seconds). However, each day can vary, some day’s we will be carrying out planned installations of new fire doors.
At Selwood Housing I am given the opportunity to safely practice carpentry and hone my skills.
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience about fitting kitchens and fire doors, the process involved, and the best way to place orders with suppliers.
The thing I most enjoy about being an apprentice is the people you get to meet. At Selwood Housing, I move around different departments, meeting new and lovely people, and learning new techniques from each one of them.
I chose to do an apprenticeship after completing A levels. I never fancied going to university and wanted to do something more hands on.
Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to learn and make money at the same time.
Most of the time you’ll have a guaranteed job with whoever you did an apprenticeship with when you finish your course. Selwood Housing is a great example of this, once completing your course, you can stay on for an additional ‘improver year’ and if a role in the business pops up, you can apply for that role.
For anyone considering an apprenticeship, it is not an easy way out. Don’t think of it as an easy alternative, you will most likely be doing this for the rest of your life, make sure it is something you are passionate about!
My plans, for the future, are to explore the joinery side of wood working a bit more and designing things of my own. I’d like to possibly even go to university for furniture or interior design as I have enjoyed doing that in my free time.
