National Certificate in Joinery (Level 4)

Matthew Heaney takes pride in the finished product. Picture / Fotopress

The course

No matter where you work or live, you are surrounded by the work of joiners, the tradespeople who create stairs, window and door frames, kitchen cabinets, bench tops and so on.

Joinery apprentices develop skills in manufacturing from timber, as well as learning how to read architectural drawings, cost jobs and manage projects.

Once apprentices have mastered the basics they move on to more complex projects, such as arched windows and geometric stairs.

An apprentice works under the guidance of a qualified joiner in the workplace as well as doing the national certificate, which includes attending three-week block courses twice a year to learn the theory and hone skills.

It takes 8000 hours (around four years) to become a fully qualified joiner. Apprentices must earn 208 credits in unit standards, of which about two-thirds are compulsory.

The compulsory standards include developing skills such as manufacturing cupboard doors and drawers, and operating and maintaining radial arm saws and surface planers.

Apprentices then choose electives worth 61 credits.

Their options range from learning to manufacture laminate flat bench tops and timber gates to hand-turning wood for furniture.

There are no specific entry requirements but it is important the would-be apprentice has an interest in creating things out of timber.

Many employers prefer applicants with a background in wood technology or graphics.

The course costs $3700. The average age of an apprentice in joinery is 20 to 23.

What graduates think

Matthew Heaney
Joiner Craftsperson at Pakuranga Joinery and Cabinet Makers Ltd
Age 21
Qualified November 2004. New Zealand apprentice joinery representative at World Skills Competition 2003.

I worked here for my dad in the holidays and really enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed making things and really like finishing something that looks good.

I am now a qualified joiner after doing a four-year apprenticeship.

As an apprentice I trained in the factory and then went on three-week block courses at Unitec. In the first and second year I did two courses and in the third year one.

The courses test your skills. You have to demonstrate how you can make projects, which get harder further into your time. There is also a bit of theory involved.

We had assignments like designing a factory layout and stuff about different timbers and how machines work.

I do a lot of exterior joinery here, but we also do aluminium and cabinetry so I have been able to get a good range of experience. We just did exterior joinery on the Cock'n'Bull in Newmarket, which required a lot of detail in the joinery.

I really like working on different things like that because I have to use my brain and think about things differently.

What employers think

Dave Heaney
Owner of Pakuranga Joinery and Cabinet Makers Ltd

Although I'm Matthew's father and employer, I never told him he had to be a joiner. I believe your children have to choose for themselves.

When I interview people I keep asking them if joinery is what they really want to do. You have to enjoy your job, otherwise what is the point of going through an apprenticeship? It is a big commitment on both sides.

Employers put time and money into apprentices and I've seen apprentices finish their time and walk away and do something completely different, which seems a waste of everyone's time.

I think the big advantage of the block courses is that our apprentices get input from other people. We can only teach so much so it is good that they are shown other ways of doing things because there is always more than one way.

Apprentices also often bring back new ideas for us from the course. However, I'd like to see a bit more theory in the course.

An apprentice spends the first year just getting into the routine of getting to work and remembering what they're told. Having joinery as a time-based apprenticeship is important because a lot of learning is done by going over and over processes.

Qualification

National Certificate in Joinery (Level 4) - Craftsperson (includes cabinetry, exterior joinery, stairs, laminate fabrication, component machining, aluminium fabrication)

Offered through six polytechnics: Unitec, Wintec, UCol, Weltec, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Southland Institute of Technology. Developed by the Joinery Industry Training Organisation.

Ph (04) 385 8814, freephone 0800 10 55 88 or visit the Joinery Industry Training Organisation website (link below).

Apprentices earn $7.60 or $9.50 an hour depending on whether under or over 18 years old. Qualified joiners start at $18 to $22 an hour. Both rates increase with experience and vary between regions.