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Canadian Edition: Back to School – What Are Your Woodworking Education Options?

Are you looking to take your craft to the next level? Or, are you new to woodworking and simply want to learn tricks of the trade? Perhaps you may want to consider completing a woodworking program. Whether you are new to woodworking or a highly practiced woodworker, there are numerous programs available to fine-tune or introduce you to the techniques you need to turn your hobby into a serious career option or your small-scale workshop into a full-scale business venture.

Here are just a few of the many woodworking programs Canadian post-secondary institutions have to offer:

Georgian College

Georgian College’s Cabinetmaking Techniques program offers students hands-on cabinetmaking and woodworking experience to develop the essential skills and techniques they need to succeed. With every project, students gain a better understanding of the woodworking industry, including finishing processes, furniture design, joinery and fastening, and much more.

Every year since 2013, we have partnered with this program to award one particularly talented student the Fuji Spray® Fine Finishing Award. Students of their three-semester program are tasked with construction and refinishing projects, and images of the refinished projects are anonymously sent to us so that we may select the winner. The top student is selected by early August each year and is awarded a trophy and a certificate for $500 Fuji Bucks.

Through our partnership with Georgian College, students are provided the opportunity to use a commercial spray booth with a Fuji Spray® HVLP system.

University of British Columbia

We are also proud to have an industrial partnership with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP). They offer a wide range of programs, workshops, and services for woodworking professionals.

Here’s what Managing Director Jason Chiu has to say about the program: “At the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, we believe that investing in training and education will create a more knowledgeable, loyal, and committed workforce. We have created wood industry–specific training courses that will allow you to become a more competitive and profitable organization.”

Algonquin College

If you’re looking for more of an introductory program, Algonquin College’s Woodworking Techniques part-time certificate may be more up your alley.

This six-course program aims to teach you the necessary woodworking skills and safety precautions to construct and finish woodworking projects with both machinery and hand tools. It includes foundational courses, project-based elective courses, demonstrations, and hands-on practice.

If this program appeals to you, you can continue your education with Algonquin’s Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technician apprenticeship.

Conestoga College

Conestoga College is home to the Woodworking Centre of Ontario, which is the largest woodworking training centre in North America.

The centre provides students of their Woodworking Technology and Woodworking Technician programs access to the latest manufacturing technology. With standard, co-op, and apprenticeship offerings, students gain the experience they need to join today’s fast-paced, competitive woodworking industry.

If you’re worried that you may not qualify for a woodworking program at a college or university, don’t fret! Many only require a high school diploma or equivalent. It may be too late for a September 2018 enrolment, but we encourage you to reach out to the programs to learn more and find out if they are the right fit for you. Good luck! Stay tuned for next month’s blog where we’ll highlighted some woodworking programs at U.S. schools.