Working in Furniture Manufacturing
The Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors industry is built on traditional craft skills which date back many hundreds of years. Entry into the industry is typically via three main routes. The first of these is an Apprenticeship, which can lead to a range of exciting, specialist careers.
Another entry route in to the industry is directly through employers, who often look for people that want to develop a broader range of skills and perform different tasks every day.
The third alternative entry to these is Further/Higher Education (FE/HE), which can result in qualifications at degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) level that helps teach the business skills needed to manage or run your own business. There are many training colleges and universities across the UK which offer relevant FE and HE.
Operational
Furniture manufacture can be completed in small custom designed workshops or in large factories where large, fast moving, automated machinery is used. Soft Furnishing and Craft Upholstery workshops are generally smaller units employing multi-skilled staff that can provide comprehensive training in the chosen discipline. Manufacturing work within workshops and factories can require reasonable physical fitness, due to the amount of standing and lifting involved.
Within the workshops, a wide range of basic tools can be used including; saws, hammers, needles, as well as small hand held electrical appliances for sanding, fabric cutting and pressing.
In comparison, within the large factories which tend to offer more Apprenticeships the work may also involve control of large fast moving machinery. Some of this machinery can be quite noisy and dust extraction systems are required, due to wood cutting and shaping tasks which is performed at speed. Whether you work for one of the smaller employers that make up around 75% of the UK FFI industry, the larger employers or you are self employed, health and safety rules are vitally important and they must be followed at all times.
Working in the production side of the industry requires good hand–eye coordination. The ability to use tools effectively, team working skills and a quality driven approach are also highly valued.
Supervisory and management
Once knowledge and experience has been gained in production some employees then move into training, leadership, health and safety or quality management positions. These roles require a blend of production knowledge, good communication skills and the ability to use computers for tasks such as report writing and stock management. There are also sales and marketing positions that require knowledge of both raw materials and the manufacturing processes and business administration roles.
Above this level are the senior managers, who need to be able to inspire staff and ensure business goals are always understood by all employees. Their work is driven by company plans and it involves ensuring that production targets are constantly met.
For further information please see www.proskills.co.uk, email info@proskills.co.uk or call 01235 432 032.
