Carpenter Apprentice
Houghton Group
CHELMSFORD (CM2 6ND)
Closes in 20 days (Friday 27 March 2026)
Posted on 3 March 2026
Contents
Summary
Houghton Group is seeking a motivated Carpenter Apprentice to join our Chelmsford-based team. The role offers hands-on site experience alongside skilled tradespeople, combined with a recognised apprenticeship, supporting high-quality building works across residential and commercial projects.
- Wage
-
£15,995.20 a year
- Training course
- Carpentry and joinery (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 8am - 4:30pm, with a 45-minute break
38 hours 45 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Assist qualified carpenters with first fix and second fix carpentry works, including studwork, flooring, doors, skirting and architraves
- Safely use and maintain hand tools and power tools under supervision, in line with company procedures and health and safety legislation
- Support setting out, measuring and cutting of materials accurately to specification and drawings
- Help prepare work areas, including unloading materials, maintaining tidy sites and managing waste responsibly
- Attend college or training provider sessions as part of the apprenticeship programme and apply learning on site
- Follow instructions from site supervisors and work collaboratively with other trades on live construction sites
- Adhere to all company policies, including health and safety, quality standards and site conduct requirements
Where you'll work
MALVERN HOUSE
63A NAVIGATION ROAD
CHELMSFORD
CM2 6ND
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
COLCHESTER INSTITUTE
Training course
Carpentry and joinery (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Comply with health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Identify and use safety control equipment, for example, RPE, dust suppression, PPE and LEV.
- Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with industry regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Prepare and maintain a safe working area.
- Interpret and use information from drawings and specifications.
- Estimate required materials and produce a cutting list.
- Verbally communicate with others, applying construction terminology.
- Select, use and store hand tools.
- Select, use and store power tools.
- Maintain and sharpen hand tools.
- Produce jigs.
- Identifies well-being support available to self and others.
- Site carpenter: Apply first fix techniques and practices for: 1. structural carcassing (load bearing studwork), 2. straight timber or metal partition walls, 3. floor joists 4. floor joist coverings and 5. straight flights of stairs.
- Site carpenter: Install structural fixings.
- Site carpenter: Size timber from sizing tables.
- Site carpenter: Apply site second fix techniques and practices for: 1. service encasement, 2. cladding 3. wall and floor units and fitments, 4. handrails and spindles to straight flights of stairs, 5. internal and external doors, 6. skirting boards and architrave, 7. window boards.
- Site carpenter: Apply site carpenter techniques and practices to construction of rafter roofs, including trussed (prefabricated) and traditional (built on site) including the construction of verge, eaves and fitting loft access.
- Site carpenter: Use and store laser levels for example cross line laser.
- Site carpenter: Form connections, for example, using joints, nails, screws, bolts and adhesive.
- Site carpenter: Apply measuring, marking out, cutting (square and angled), mitring, hinging and recessing techniques.
- Site carpenter: Carrying out splicing and scribing techniques.
- Architectural joiner: Produce setting out details, including setting rods, and mark out for timber products.
- Architectural joiner: Produce basic woodworking joints including dovetail, bridal, mortise and tenon and halving.
- Architectural joiner: Form connections using dowels, biscuit, staples and adhesives.
- Architectural joiner: Apply techniques and practices to the manufacture and assembly of a timber window with casement including glazing rebates and associated ironmongery.
- Architectural joiner: Apply manufacture and assembly techniques for first fix products: 1. straight staircases, 2. door frames and linings.
- Architectural joiner: Apply manufacture and assembly techniques for second fix products: 1. timber doors, 2. wall and floor units, 3. timber mouldings, 4. staircase spindles and balustrades.
- Architectural joiner: Fit ironmongery including door locks, door handles, door hinges, latches and draw runners.
- Architectural joiner: Inspect, prepare and operate fixed machinery.
- Comply with health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Identify and use safety control equipment, for example, RPE, dust suppression, PPE and LEV.
- Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
- Comply with industry regulations, standards, and guidance.
- Prepare and maintain a safe working area.
- Interpret and use information from drawings and specifications.
- Estimate required materials and produce a cutting list.
- Verbally communicate with others, applying construction terminology.
- Select, use and store hand tools.
- Select, use and store power tools.
- Maintain and sharpen hand tools.
- Produce jigs.
- Identifies well-being support available to self and others.
Training schedule
- The apprentice will be working towards the Carpentry & Joinery Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard (Site Carpentry Pathway)
- College attendance at Colchester Institute (Colchester campus) one day per week during term time
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
Many of our sites are residential so apprentices can potentially be on more than one site per day and will vary week to week. A driving licence is preferred. In some instances, it can be arranged for apprentices to be picked up, but this is not always guaranteed, and apprentices may be asked to make their own way to site. Apprentices with licences who use their personal vehicle can claim mileage.
About this employer
We are a team of professional local building contractors based in Essex and working throughout the UK, providing our clients with a full range of responsive and quality construction services. We are a family-run firm that works from the heart.
https://www.houghton.group/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Enhanced sick pay
- Additional day off for Birthday
- Increased day annual leave per years loyalty up to five years
- Opportunity for additional paid training
- Social events
After this apprenticeship
Previous successful carpenter apprentices have gone on to stay at Houghton Group beyond their studies and promoted to Carpenter improvers with the opportunity to become Carpenters.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
COLCHESTER INSTITUTE
Colchester Institute - Apprenticeship Team
ci.apprenticeships@colchester.ac.uk
01206 712043
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000013226.
Apply now
Closes in 20 days (Friday 27 March 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.