When it comes to the building trade, both residential and commercial carpenters are always in demand. Carpentry is one of the most popular and sought-after of all the building trades. Whether you’re working for a carpentry company or venture out to do your own thing, it can also be quite a lucrative career choice that leads to a comfortable lifestyle.
Whether it’s commercial carpenters in Sydney or anywhere else in Australia when you become a qualified carpenter, chances are, you will always have work and ongoing projects.
Let’s see what it takes to become a commercial carpenter in 2022 and beyond.
What Does a Commercial Carpenter Do?
Commercial carpentry focuses on performing work in the commercial and industrial building sectors rather than the residential sector. Instead of building residences such as homes, commercial carpenters are involved in the construction, repair and maintenance of commercial buildings. This could be anything from a shopping mall to building things like airport terminal buildings and a host of other projects.
Many commercial carpenters also work in building restoration, which involves restoring and renovating old commercial buildings and giving them a facelift to preserve them. Prime examples would be Heritage-listed buildings.
While residential and commercial carpenters play pivotal roles in the building trade, commercial carpenters deal with a broader scope of work. They are often involved in building large projects.
How To Become a Commercial Carpenter?
If you’re already a qualified and experienced residential carpenter, transitioning into the commercial sector shouldn’t be too difficult. It will simply be a matter of gaining experience and understanding of what’s required in commercial carpentry.
You could start by working with a carpentry company that either specializes in commercial work or works on a mix of residential and commercial properties. You could begin working on smaller commercial projects and up to the bigger jobs.
If you’re not yet a qualified carpenter but feel it might be the right career path for you, then you’ll need essential training to become qualified. The most common way to gain credentials is by completing an apprenticeship, which includes on-the-job training and some tutoring within a classroom environment.
Suppose you want to ensure you can attract an apprenticeship with a company that does commercial carpentry work. In that case, you have the option of completing the Certificate III Course In Carpentry to give yourself a grounding in the basics. This way, when you look for someone to provide you with a start, you already have some basic knowledge before commencing an apprenticeship. Completing the course will also give you a better understanding of whether carpentry is the right career choice for you.
Apprenticeships for carpenters generally span four years in Australia. Still, even once you become a qualified carpenter, you’ll always be learning new things and working on a variety of projects, which keeps the job interesting.
In commercial carpentry, there are some different types of carpentry you could target. They include:
- Green carpenter
- Framework carpenter
- Formwork Carpenter
- Joiner carpenter
Is It Possible To Become a Carpenter Later On In Life?
While many people start apprenticeships in their late teens or early twenties, it’s not impossible to begin a career as a carpenter if you’re thirty or forty. You’ll still need to go through all the same training by doing an apprenticeship. Still, some employers prefer training older people due to their maturity and increased level of responsibility. A mature-age apprentice is also more likely to have a solid idea of what they want to do and achieve and potentially are more focused on learning and doing the work.
The downside will be the amount apprentices get paid, especially in the first two years, but if you can handle the starting wages, then getting a start in carpentry later on in life is undoubtedly a possibility to look into.
The Takeaway
Australia’s building and construction industry is looking quite promising in 2022, especially in the commercial sector. If you want to transition into commercial carpentry or want to get started on a carpentry career, now is a good time to do so.
