A further 19 students from a mix of independent, national and regional builders’ and timber merchants qualified for their Level 4 Certificate in Wood Science and Timber Technology with TFT Woodexperts at the end of May, with three Merits and two Distinctions among the results.
An additional five students also embarked on TFT’s Level 4 course in January, eight started during April and May, and another eight are booked to start in the autumn. The next Certificate Examination will be held before Christmas 2017.
“There’s a high demand for timber knowledge well beyond the basics, as merchants seek to differentiate themselves from the competition,” reports TFT Woodexperts’ Director Jim Coulson.
“Employers appreciate that the Level 4 qualification fits into the national qualifications framework. They also value the results, with staff from trade counter to branch manager level gaining in-depth expertise to boost customer service. Companies additionally value the flexibility that our organisation can offer in terms of tutorial and examination dates, enabling teaching and qualifications to fit around the needs of their businesses.”
The TFT Woodexperts accredited Level 4 Certificate is the only course entitling graduates to claim Technician level membership of IOM3 in Wood Science (TIMMM). The company is now piloting a fully-accredited Level 6 (Masters equivalent) course, with its first supervised candidate submitting his thesis this summer. A positive result would enable the candidate to apply for Membership status with IOM3 (MIMMM).
“Many of those studying with us have taken product knowledge-related Level 2 and Level 3 courses, but want to further enhance their knowledge of wood as a material and so progress their careers in the timber industry. Their greatly increased wood knowledge and their greater confidence in answering wood-related queries have tangible benefits to their employer’s sales development. This can be seen in the number of Woodexperts-trained entrants for the timber industry’s prestigious Career Development Awards each September,” Jim concludes.
For further information, visit: www.woodexperts.com/content/home-page
