Carving out a career in woodworking

Mackenzie Bloxham wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career but “always liked the idea of making something”, so when he learned about the option of an apprenticeship in bench joinery, that was a course that met his requirements.

Bench joiners are usually based in a workshop and produce timber products such as doors, window frames, staircases and cabinets.

Mackenzie joined the two-year Carpentry and Joinery (Bench) Apprenticeship L2 at Leicester College, with a work placement at Oliveti, one of the Midlands' leading construction companies. Here, he gets to learn how to use traditional woodworking tools as well as specialised power or hand tools for cutting, shaping, smoothing and finishing.

Continually learning and improving

Talking about his decision to start an apprenticeship, Mackenzie says: “I originally wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I've always liked the idea of making something. I went to Leicester College and looked at the apprenticeship, and thought that I wanted to do that. When you make stuff, it's nice to see the finished product.

“The whole apprenticeship has been enjoyable. It's all good fun and I can produce quality work as well. I've improved my hand skills and experience in working with machines. I feel confident using all of the machines now. It just speeds up the process of making stuff, helping you to complete the job quicker.

“It's always good to learn skills for yourself. You are not just limited to work and I can do stuff at home to help me. I'm slowly improving my general skills so in the future, I can transfer on to site work or something like that.

“If you’re thinking about starting an apprenticeship, I would recommend that you work on your confidence. It’s important to make a good first impression and build relationships with your team.

“There's always stuff that you can learn so I’m keeping going and improving myself until I feel like I'm ready for something bigger.” concluded Mackenzie.