Batley furniture maker teams up with Kirklees College to create new apprenticeship

HSL (High Seat Ltd), based on Grange Road Industrial Estate, has helped to create the Level 2 Furniture Making course after the college worked closely with a range of employers in North Kirklees to identify local skills gaps in the furniture manufacturing sector.

The first intake of apprentices start this month with the scheme offering two pathways, either working towards qualifying as a wood machinist or a modern upholsterer. Both pathways will develop apprentices’ understanding of the furniture manufacturing process and where they fit into it, from selecting the right materials and hand-crafting pieces, through to meeting customer expectations and quality standards.

The apprentices will study at Kirklees College’s Brunel Construction Centre during their college hours, where a brand-new specialist CNC machine has just been installed to help train the budding furniture makers.

It is hoped that the course will not only equip apprentices with specialist skills, but with a wide range of skills needed to work in a number of roles within the sector.

Steve Plumstead, Head of Faculty for Construction at Kirklees College said:

“It has been a pleasure working with HSL to develop the Furniture Making apprenticeship. We hope to generate a lot of interest in the apprenticeship and help kick-start many careers in this thriving local industry.

“Our specialist training facilities at Kirklees College will help support the apprentice’s learning and development of skills during their college hours and we will be here to support them throughout the course.”

Steve Radley, HR Business Partner at HSL Furniture, commented:

“HSL are delighted to be enrolling our 2023 intake of apprentices onto courses provided by Kirklees College. It is great there is now a local provider to meet the training requirements for our furniture manufacturing business.”

The announcement comes in time for the beginning of Colleges Week 2023 which is the Association of Colleges annual campaign to promote the work that goes on in the Further Education sector.

To find out more, visit www.kirkleescollege.ac.uk