Industry Overview

Wood is a truly remarkable, renewable and sustainable material. It is amongst the oldest materials used by man. There are more than 70,000 different woods known to man, but only a few hundred of these are used commercially throughout the World. The different characteristics and properties of wood and the application of science and technology has ensured that wood remains a valued resource, providing a wide range of products for many different end uses. Wood may be used in its solid form, or it may be remanufactured, for example, to provide engineered timber products.

Wood is not only valued for its beauty, but it is also valued for its structural properties and for this reason, it remains a popular and valuable construction material. The construction industry accounts for about 60% of the wood and wood products traded in the UK. Other major markets include furniture, fencing and packaging. Because of its unique carbon attributes – trees absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen – it has a major role to play in the development of a low carbon economy.

The practice of sustainable forest management is well established and is verified by independent certification. This ensures that sustainably managed forests continue to provide a valuable range of economic, social and environmental benefits and that they can continue to provide these indefinitely.

The wood supply chain can be lengthy and complex by comparison to some other industries, but it also provides many opportunities for employment and career development, in a wide range of disciplines and in a variety of business types and sizes. The harvesting, sawmilling, processing, manufacturing, fabrication, marketing, selling and distribution of wood and wood products require many different skills. The UK has a thriving wood industry, which processes wood and wood products sourced from many different countries, including the UK, Scandinavia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and the Far East.

Valued by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) at over £7.6 billion per annum, this places the wood industry in fifth place in the ranking of over 120 major industries in the UK. There are some 20,000 wood processing and distribution organisations within the industry, which between them employ some 186,000 people.

Proskills works with employers from the Wood Industry to help businesses improve their productivity and competitiveness through skills training. Extensive research and comprehensive employer consultation has identified a need to upskill current and future workforces to enable businesses in this industry to address the challenges they currently face. In particular as the current economic climate forces many businesses to make staff cut backs, there is an increasing need for the remaining workforce to multi-skill.




A recent survey (2009) has indicated that Skills training is required to help address skills gaps in the following occupations/functions:

  • Managers: Sales, Production management, Administration/office skills, Technical, Speed of working/meeting deadlines.
  • Process Plant and Machine operatives: Assemblers and routine operatives, Plant and machine operatives, Production/productivity, Quality and customer care managers/Quality process operatives, Job specific, Technical, Mobile machine drivers and operatives, Speed of working/meeting deadlines, Motivation, Supervisory , Team working, Oral and communication skills.
  • Skilled trades: Production related, Job specific, Supervisory, Speed of working/meeting deadlines, Technical, Motivation, Engineering, Sales, Quality and customer care, Team working, Oral and communication skills.
  • Elementary occupations: Plant/production operatives, Job specific, IT/systems, Team working, Oral and communication skills.

Work has commenced to help address these skills gaps.