Proskills: Making Skills Work

Typical Tasks

General Skills required

Experience requested

Qualifications

• Designers mainly work with wood, but can use other materials including ceramics, glass, plastics and metal.
• To start off with an idea, and draw sketches by hand or computer.
• To consider materials, cost and how to actually make the piece.
• To make a sample or prototype before going into production.

• To be creative.
• Practical skills and knowledge of the materials and tools needed.
• An understanding of colour and 3-D design.
• To be able to plan and organise a project through several stages.
• The ability to work out the costs of materials and time and price items accordingly.
• The ability to reach agreements with customers and sell ideas and designs.
• Business skills such as marketing, book-keeping and organisation are highly regarded. Knowledge of safety requirements would also be useful.

This will be dependent on the job role at which you enter the industry; however
if you have little or no experience3 or more GCSEs at grade A to C
are valued by employers.

There are no fixed entry level requirements.

Qualifications valued by employers may include:

• GCSE’s, ideally grade A to C
• A Level’s
• L2/L3/L4 CAD/CAM Design.
• NVQ L2/L3 in Making and Installing Furniture.
• NVQ L3 in Making and repairing Hand-Crafted Furniture.
• City and Guilds L4 Creative Arts Higher Professional Development Diploma.
• Furniture Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship.