A further 19 students have qualified for their Level 4 Certificate in Wood Science and Timber Technology with TFT Woodexperts, 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 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,” said TFT Woodexperts director Jim Coulson.
The TFT Woodexperts-accredited Level 4 Certificate entitles graduates to claim technician level membership of IOM3 in Wood Science. The company is now piloting a fully accredited Level 6 (Masters equivalent) course, with the first supervised candidate submitting his thesis this summer. A positive result would enable the candidate to apply for membership status with IOM3.
Mr Coulson continued: “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 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 Career Development Awards each September.”
