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Apprentice Upholsterer SOUTHWEST UPHOLSTERY LIMITED

An enthusiastic Apprentice to join our Upholstery team. The successful candidate will be trained in all aspects of Upholstery through WEBS structured training programme as well as on the job training. Learn practical skills and techniques to produce different types of soft furniture.

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Closing date: 31 Dec 2022

Apprenticeship summary

  • Weekly wage

    £192.40 to £380.00

    Wages explained

    Apprentices are paid for their normal working hours and training that's part of their apprenticeship (usually one day per week).

    Minimum Wage Rates

  • Working week

    Monday - Friday 07.00am - 4.00pm

    Total hours per week: 40.00

  • Expected duration

    16 months

  • Possible start date

    09 Jan 2023

  • Date posted

    24 Nov 2021

  • Apprenticeship level

    Intermediate
    Level 2 (GCSE)

  • Reference number

    VAC001795543

  • Positions

    1 available

Being an Upholsterer, you will be required to work in anyone of a wide range of production environments. Workplaces can be a variety of size from small work-shops through to large commercial factories; either way you will need to be able to work independently and as a part of team.

Duties of an upholsterer could include:

  • Stripping down items of furniture from covers back to the wooden frame
  • Prepare frames for upholstery including adding different densities of foams and fibres
  • Using a wide range of spring systems including serpentine, super loop, box spring units
  • Filling cushions using fibre, foam and feathers
  • Working with a large range of materials including fabrics and leathers
  • Cutting various materials for ready for upholstery
  • Tension and straining materials to position them
  • Patten matching fabrics within tolerance
  • Using a range of trimmings and finishing’s including buttons, facings, piping and decorative studs
  • Using traditional methods such as slip stitch, tacking and hand sewing
  • Using traditional fillings including coir fibre, horse hair, hessian and cotton felt
  • Using wide range compressed air equipment including clip, frame, staple, pin and vertex guns
  • Use a range of hand tools including scissors, shears, staple lifter, tin snips, hammers mallets and pincers
  • Creating different types of pleats including scroll arm, envelope and puckering
  • Cutting materials with templates
  • Sewing fabrics ready for upholstery
  • Good housekeeping and general labouring duties
  • Good organisation workloads ready production
  • Working with mechanical components from recliner actions to bed actions
  • Completing leather repair and service work to furniture
  • Checking and ordering new stock, managing storage of stock
  • Working as part of a team on piece work production
  • Working independently, using your own initiative

Requirements and prospects

Desired skills

Skills required to becoming an Upholster:

  • Excellent attitude
  • Be punctual
  • Be able to adjust to working on different designs and models of furniture
  • Excellent team working skills
  • Basic numeracy skills
  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Being able to work within a factory environment
  • Being able to work confidently under pressure
  • The ability to meet targets and deadlines

Personal qualities

  • Excellent attitude and attendance
  • Willingness to learn
  • Enthusiastic and practical
  • Friendly and be passionate about the role

Desired qualifications

None required, however the successful candidate will work towards their Functional Skills in both maths and English if they have not achieved prior or have an equivalent.

Future prospects

Progression Opportunities:

  • Advanced Apprenticeship in Modern Upholstery, traditional Upholstery, Supervision or Furniture design and Prototyping
  • Progression within the organisation to include more responsibility and wider range of production work

About the employer

Our business is a real family affair started in Bristol by three generations of the Ball family in Grandad John’s garden shed.

John, Andy & Ryan all worked together undertaking seating repairs and recovering for buses and coaches. In the early days this was part time work on evenings and weekends alongside John and Andy’s regular jobs but Ryan had a burning passion for business from a young age and so took the plunge to take on the business full time and learn the trade alongside his Grandad, driving it forward from our garden shed to what we are today.

Employer

SOUTHWEST UPHOLSTERY LIMITED

Address

Unit 7

Bristol

BS3 5QY

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Training

Training provider

WEBS TRAINING LIMITED

Applications for this apprenticeship are being processed by Webs Training Ltd

Contact

Emma Dougan 01159677771 e.dougan@webstraining.com

Intermediate Furniture Manufacturer Standard.

During your apprenticeship programme you will receive training both off and on the job. You will be required to attend WEBS Training on Block which is for one week at a time five times per year here at WEBS Training in Nottingham staying overnight in local accommodation paid for by your employer.  You will learn the underpinning knowledge that runs alongside your practical elements of the training. You will use a wide range of techniques whilst you complete a practical project.

WEBS Training aim to build on the skills you already have so you reach your full potential both personally and professionally.

Training will be provided in all areas of Furniture Manufacturing to ensure you are capable of creating practical and bespoke furniture using both traditional and modern techniques and materials to produce aesthetically pleasing and fit for purpose products.

If you have already achieved GCSE maths and English at Grade 4/C or above or have equivalent qualification you will be exempt from undertaking Functional Skills, however English and maths support will be provided for all apprentices throughout the length of their programme.

Apprenticeship standard

Furniture manufacturer

Level 2 (GCSE)

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