In September 2026, I took a step that I hadn't expected to take after more than 30 years away from formal education: I enrolled on a Level 2 Diploma in Carpentry & Joinery.
Although I've been working with wood for many years, including my time working professionally as a furniture maker between 1999 and 2006, I wanted to develop my skills further and gain a formal qualification.
The course runs for 34 weeks, with classes on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. My son Lewis is also on the course, which makes the experience even more enjoyable as we're able to work together.
The first evening was an induction, which included functional skills assessments in maths and English. After more than 30 years since I last had to sit anything resembling a school test, I wasn't exactly looking forward to that part!
It turned out better than I expected.
From there, we started learning and practising traditional carpentry joints, working through the techniques one step at a time. It's been interesting coming into the course with years of practical woodworking experience but also discovering that there's always another way to approach something — and that sometimes the traditional method teaches you why things are done the way they are.
I'm looking forward to documenting the whole journey here, from the first joints we made right through to the end of the course.
For me, college isn't the beginning of my journey with woodworking. It's the next chapter.
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