Carpentry Programs

Find accredited carpentry and woodworking training programs at local skilled trade schools and vocational technical colleges near you. Specialized training available for various construction careers depending on your location; use the search application for programs near you.

Accelerated, weekend class and hybrid (classroom/online) options are available at many schools. Find vocational training in the carpentry and construction field from a top technical college near you.

Related Careers in Construction

“What it takes to become a carpenter:

  • Graduate High School or get your GED
  • Get some hands-on experience by working under a carpenter
  • Start your training through an apprenticeship, a trade school, or a community college
  • Complete an apprenticeship
  • Become a journeyman carpenter”[ref]

Colleges with Carpentry Training

All colleges are not listed here, use the search application to find your local options.

Types of Carpenters

“There are a few different types of carpenters: rough, finish, residential, commercial, and industrial. Each type of carpenter has been formally trained and has the appropriate skill set for the part of the industry they work in.

  • Residential Carpenter: When it comes to homes, residential carpenters are the professionals who will install floors, cabinetry, framing, siding, and pretty much everything else that makes a house functional.
  • Commercial Carpenter: A commercial carpenter has to take specialized courses because they are working on larger scale buildings than homes, which means the materials they are using may be entirely different. Commercial carpenters work on structures such as schools, houses of worship, bridges, and tunnels.
  • Industrial Carpenter: Industrial carpenters work in industrial settings. They will build scaffolding, and they will set the forms for where the concrete will be poured. Industrial carpenters set forms for structures other than buildings, such as tunnels, bridges, sewer construction, and power plants.
  • Rough Carpenter: Rough carpenters are skilled in following blueprints or oral instructions to create rough structures such as scaffolding, supports for tunnels and bridges, temporary frame shelters, and billboard structures.
  • Finish Carpenter: Finish carpenters are brought in on the final phase of a variety of projects. The finish carpenter installs the trim work and frames around features such as windows, walls, and staircases. The finish carpenter completes projects that need that last touch to look good and finished.” – Carpenter Job Description and Training Guide

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