Construction

As with the other Vocational subjects, Construction has a purpose built department in the College’s new Skills and Enterprise centre. It consists of specially designed workshops for bricklaying and carpentry & joinery and, along with a classroom, we have very good facilities in which to deliver our courses.   The bricklaying workshop has 200 square metres of floor space with a roller shutter leading to a yard where bricks and blocks are stored along with an industry quality pan mixer.   Carpentry & joinery workshops have bench space for classes of up to 16 students. With a range of woodworking machinery, portable power tools and hand tools we have all the equipment necessary to deliver courses up to level 3 Diploma and NVQ 3 in wood occupations.   To back-up the two trade workshops, we have a dedicated classroom for construction which is equipped with 16 computers and an interactive white board.   All trade and craft skills are taught by teachers holding relevant industry qualifications and experience in their given areas. Therefore, all learners can take advantage of a high standard of teaching along with practical demonstrations of skills used in industry.  

Wood Occupations - Carpentry & Joinery
Trowel Occupations - Bricklaying  

Qualifications available:
Construction Awards Alliance Diploma Levels 1, 2 and 3 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Levels 1, 2 and 3 
 
Who are the courses for?
These courses are for anyone who is practically minded, wants to learn a trade and enter the construction industry. You will need to be motivated and willing to work on your own and as part of a team. Government statistics show that there is a need to train around 11,000 extra carpenters a year to cope with the future demands in this country.  

What are the entry requirements?
A good understanding of numeracy and literacy is necessary to complete estimating of materials, problem solving and job knowledge questions. In order to progress to the Level 2 diploma, successful completion of  Level 1 is required. Similarly completion of Level 2 is a prerequisite of the Level 3 course.  

Carpentry and Joinery - Course Contents:

  • Level 1- Carpentry & Joinery – Basic woodworking joints, manufacture of small frames, use and maintain hand tools, basic power tool skills.
  • Level 2 - Site Carpentry – First fix including floor joists, stud work, hand cut and trussed roofs. Second fix including door hanging, skirting, architraves and kitchen fitting.
  • Level 2 - Bench Joinery – Setting out, marking and manufacture of joinery items including doors, windows, staircases and small cabinets. Ideal for anyone looking to work in a joinery workshop.
  Bricklaying - Course Contents:
  • Level 1 - The principles of bricklaying including, mixing mortar, laying bricks to a line, levelling and pointing. The skills obtained in level 1 are vital in order to progress to level 2.
  • Level 2 - Moves on to the more advanced techniques including cavity work, block and brick work, English and Flemish bond walls, forming openings and positioning lintels.

    How will I study the course?
    The programmes can be studied on a day release from work or on a full time programme. The courses consist of a series of units followed by end practical and multiple choice theory tests. You will have lectures, demonstrations and plenty of workshop activity. 

    What can I do next?
    You can advance from level 1 to levels 2 and 3 or obtain employment in the construction industry, where you can progress to a NVQ. The higher the level of the course, the more advanced skills you will obtain.    

    Modern apprenticeships in Bricklaying and Carpentry & Joinery  

    Working alongside industry, we will be running apprenticeship programmes whereby the learners are employed by a firm as either an apprentice Bricklayer or Carpenter. The firm will then release the apprentice for one day a week to attend College. At College you will work to achieve an apprenticeship framework including the CAA diploma, along with key skills, a CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card and an NVQ. Companies will pay you an apprentice wage, travel expenses and, often, a tool allowance.