Training Directory

Summary: You could work in independent workshops producing custom made furniture, or factories making mass produced items. You will become a skilled crafts person, and may create high quality wooden components, or furniture such as: • domestic furniture for kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms, plus other items for the home. • office desks, seating and tables for a range of working environments. • furniture for public areas including hospitals, schools, hotels and airports.

Summary: If you’re creative and have a good eye for colour, this could be your perfect job. Furniture finishers are highly skilled and use techniques, such as pressure spray applications, hand polishing or machine applications, to prepare and treat a variety of timbers and man-made boards. Depending on your job role, you could finish items such as tables, chairs, cabinets, sofas, chests of drawers, kitchen units and shop fittings, or work on fitted items such as staircases, wall panels and doors. You may also be involved in the creation of decorative effects or specialist furniture finishes.

Summary: If you have an interest in furniture history, a desire to fix things, practical skills and an eye for detail, this may be your ideal job. Using practical and scientific restoration techniques, you will be involved in the preparation, repair and restoration of antique or modern furniture.

Summary: As a bed manufacturer you will work in factory environments developing skills in mattress making, divan and headboard making, or a mixture of both. Depending on your job role, you could develop skills in: spring making, quilting, hand stitching, panel cutting, upholstery, frame and drawer making, and the production of ottoman or adjustable beds.As a bed manufacturer you will work in factory environments developing skills in mattress making, divan and headboard making, or a mixture of both. Depending on your job role, you could develop skills in: spring making, quilting, hand stitching, panel cutting, upholstery, frame and drawer making, and the production of ottoman or adjustable beds.

Summary: You will work closely with customers working on site in their homes or businesses.  Depending on your job role you could be responsible for preparing and installing furniture including kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms or prepare and install office, shop or exhibition interiors.

Summary: As a wood machinist you will have a keen eye for detail and create a variety of furniture components using a wide range of machinery.  You could be working in a small workshop or a large factory, and will learn to set up, operate and maintain equipment and machines, such as saws, planers, moulders, lathes, routers, and CNC (computer numerical control)/NC machines.

Summary: Using large polyurethane blocks and other filling materials, you will produce a variety of padding, filling and cushioning materials for use in the production of upholstered furniture and bedding. Depending on your job role, you may be using small manual machines, or large automated CNC processing and cutting equipment to create fillings.

Summary: As a furniture CNC specialist, you will combine an interest in using computers and machines to produce furniture components.  You could work in a small workshop or large factory, and will use CNC (computer numerical control) machines to cut, plane, shape and sand all types of wood and man-made wood components.

Summary: As a furniture service repairer, you will fix a variety of problems including damage to furniture, upholstery, mechanisms and fittings.  You will have an eye for detail and a hands-on approach.  You may visit customers, on their premises to inspect and assess items, and carry out repairs.

Summary: You will develop the skills to create comfortable and eye-catching furniture, products and items using traditional and modern techniques, materials and fabrics.

Summary: Advanced Furniture CNC Technicians can work in a range of environments from small workshops to large factories and may be required to work various shift patterns. An employee in this occupation will be responsible for producing machined components to meet specifications, maintaining quality and safety standards and maintaining equipment.

Summary: An Advanced Upholster produces upholstered furniture by preparing and cutting fabrics, creating/repairing frames and joints, selecting and applying suspensions and upholstering frames. An Advanced Upholsterer is a skilled and methodical individual capable of creating ergonomic and comfortable furniture using traditional or modern techniques, materials and fabrics to produce aesthetically pleasing and fit for purpose consumer products.

Summary: A Bespoke Furniture Maker produces and assembles bespoke pieces of furniture to meet individual customers’ requirements. This can cover pieces such as tables, chairs, cabinets, office furniture, kitchens and bedrooms. Bespoke Furniture Makers work with and need to understand a variety of materials – including wood, metals, glass, plastics, fabric, finishes and other relevant materials.

Summary: A Fitted Furniture Design Technician creates initial ideas, design concepts and plans for fitted furniture interiors and create technical drawings by hand or computer.

Summary: Our Summer School has a clear set of goals. To teach the craft of cabinet making to an exceptionally high standard whilst making a series of beautiful pieces of fine furniture designed by award winning furniture designer Will Acland that will be taken away and enjoyed for years to come. So how do we achieve these goals? We achieve these goals through the dedication of our students, who often join us with no previous woodwork experience, in combination with a method of teaching developed over the last decade that builds high level skill and that produces work made to exceptional standards. We start with the basics of hand tool preparation and use. We obsess about these core skills as they are the building blocks, the foundations of all fine furniture makers. These skills are learnt via the making of a series of small objects such as an octagonal cutting board with chamfered edges and the Chinese puzzle project. We strive for excellence even in the making of these simple objects and through close supervision and expert guidance we give our students the ability to hit these high standards. Our method for tool preparation and use really comes into it’s own at this point. Our students gain control of their tools and look back at those tough hours at the flattening and sharpening station with a new level of appreciation and understanding.

Summary: This intensive 2 term course follows closely the schedule and ethos of our long established 3 term designer maker course. Our mission when planning this course was to design and deliver a course that gave all that attended an intense and rounded education in what it takes to become a Furniture “Designer Maker’. We wanted it to be open to students from varied backgrounds, with varied ambitions and with varied levels of experience. From total beginners to experienced makers and / or designers, the course was designed to push everyone to achieve great things. We were adamant that the mission of the course was to bring our students up to what we would describe as reaching professional standards as quickly as possible and not to cut any corners along the way. And the results speak for themselves. Our student pieces are spectacular and even under the closest of inspection reveal a high quality in both making and design. What’s more our students have gone on to work for some of the worlds leading workshops, have won numerous awards, set up their own ‘Designer Maker’ businesses and even won medals at the World Championships of Cabinet Making. Of course many others just went on to continue to enjoy furniture making as a hobby that will remain a passion for a lifetime. All of these outcomes are things we work hard to make possible and we are proud of the on going achievements of all our students. Each and every one becoming part of the ever growing Waters and Acland Designer Maker family!

Summary: 3 Term Designer Maker 2024 £22,750.00 Start dates: September 2024 (4 places remaining) Course duration: 40 weeks (the course runs Sep-late July with end of term and half term breaks) Level: Beginner and Intermediate Fee: £22,750 Availability: There are only 6 places available on this course each year. This ensures that our students get the close attention they need and deserve. Application process No formal qualifications or previous woodworking experience is required but a passion and energy for learning new skills are a must. So contact us today and we will inform you of current availability and send you the application form for the ‘3 Term Designer Maker’ course 2024. It’s important to note that with only 6 places available each year our courses do fill up well in advance of the start date. If you would like to plan well ahead and reserve a place for ‘3 Term Designer Maker 2025’ then contact us for details and costs. The full 3 term Designer Maker Course 2024 This full 3 term course is where it all started for the school. We wanted to design and deliver a course that gave all that attended an intense and rounded education in what it takes to become a Furniture “Designer Maker’. We wanted it to be open to students from varied backgrounds, with varied ambitions and with varied levels of experience. From total beginners to experienced makers and / or designers, the course was designed to push everyone to achieve great things. We were adamant that the mission of the course was to bring our students up to what we would describe as reaching professional standards as quickly as possible and not to cut any corners along the way. And the results speak for themselves. Our student pieces are spectacular and even under the closest of inspection reveal a high quality in both making and design. What’s more our students have gone on to work for some of the worlds leading workshops, have won numerous awards, set up their own ‘Designer Maker’ businesses and even won medals at the World Championships of Cabinet Making. Of course many others just went on to continue to enjoy furniture making as a hobby that will remain a passion for a lifetime. All of these outcomes are things we work hard to make possible and we are proud of the on going achievements of all our students. Each and every one becoming part of the ever growing Waters and Acland Designer Maker family!

Summary: Explore the endless possibilities of design as you discover how to develop new products to meet the changing needs of society.

Summary: The programme is designed to give a wide range of skills appropriate to the different occupations in the industry. 

Summary: This programme is the first step to gaining a qualification in the Kitchen, Bedrooms & Fitting and manufacturing industry, specifically in the role of Kitchen Fitter

Summary: The Textiles in Practice course enables you to experience textiles as a flexible and diverse subject.

Summary: This multi-disciplinary degree explores surface design and textiles for fashion, interiors, contemporary craft and design-led products

Summary: This adaptable and unique course is designed primarily for students from either an Art and Design or Technology and Design background who wish to follow careers within the Design Industry specifically in the areas of Product or Furniture design

Summary: The course provides diverse learning experiences ensuring you have the confidence and skills for a future in textiles and fashion

Summary: Our one-month intermediate course is aimed at anyone wanting to take their woodworking skills to a whole new level.

Summary: For anyone looking for an introduction to woodworking, we run introductory courses several times a year. These short courses are run over a five-day period, Monday to Friday and provide an introduction to a whole range of woodworking skills and techniques.

Summary: This intensive course, covering skills from practical cabinet making to design, restoration and commercial skills, is the equivalent of at least three years at college. Our syllabus is designed to be more effective than other furniture courses in both the UK and internationally.

Summary:  We believe that the only way to create the product design innovators of the future is to teach students the research skills needed to discover unique opportunities for design, the thinking skills to see their world critically and the design skills and technical knowledge required to develop those opportunities into desirable products that meet real needs.

Summary: The Bachelor of Design (BDes) programme challenges conventional perceptions of product design as a solely industrial discipline, focusing instead on reimagining experiences and responding to the complexities of modern life.

Summary: You will develop the essential skills to identify and respond to people’s needs. You will use human-centred approaches to design to find out what people want and how to design the right products for them.