Carpentry and joinery
Make things with your hands, on the sites changing your borough.
Apprentice rates to start, rising with each qualification.
The route
How people get in and grow
One of the most direct routes onto a construction site. Start with a site-ready card and an apprenticeship, build toward a recognised NVQ.
- 1
Get site-ready
A CSCS card and basic site safety let you set foot on a real site.
Unlocks: CSCS card, site safety awareness
- 2
Earn while you learn
A carpentry apprenticeship pays you to train on real jobs.
Unlocks: Carpentry and joinery apprenticeship
- 3
Qualify
An NVQ Level 2 then Level 3 marks you out as a skilled tradesperson.
Unlocks: NVQ Level 2, then Level 3 Carpentry
Where this goes
Skilled trades and construction in Network runs from Level 2 (about GCSEs at grade 4 to 9) up to Level 6 (about a bachelors degree). These are the levels people move through, and what is open right now at each one.
Level 2about the same as GCSEs at grade 4 to 9
22 openings in Network15 different apprenticeshipstypically £16,640 a year(middle of 21 advertised)- Property maintenance operative (level 2)
- Passenger transport driver - bus and coach or tram (level 2)
- Carpentry and joinery (level 2)
- Facilities services operative (level 2)
Level 3about the same as A levels
15 openings in Network9 different apprenticeshipstypically £17,680 a year(middle of 15 advertised)- Installation and maintenance electrician (level 3)
- Civil engineering technician (level 3)
- International freight forwarding specialist (level 3)
- Surveying technician (level 3)
Level 4about the same as an HNC
3 openings in Network3 different apprenticeshipstypically £15,600 a year(middle of 3 advertised)- Construction quantity surveying technician (level 4)
- Construction site supervisor (level 4)
- Civil engineering senior technician (level 4)
Level 6about the same as a bachelors degree
5 openings in Network4 different apprenticeshipstypically £21,300 a year(middle of 4 advertised)- Civil engineer (level 6)
- Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6)
- Building services engineer (level 6)
- Geospatial mapping and science specialist (degree) (level 6)
Levels and apprenticeship standards from the Department for Education Find an apprenticeship service, counted from vacancies open today. Wages are the middle of what employers actually advertised, not a promise about any one job, and they do not always rise with the level: pay depends on the employer and the year as much as the qualification. These are the levels within this line of work, not a guarantee that one apprenticeship leads to the next.
Start here
Routes near you
Also open in this area of work
These are nearby and related. We have not matched them to this exact trade, so check the advert before you apply.
Take the first step
Register and we will match you to local routes into carpentry and joinery and tell you exactly which step you are ready for. Want to think it through first? Ask RORI in the chat at the bottom-right.