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- Carry out general duties in a timber yard, moving stock, working with customers and sometimes doing deliveries
- You'll need practical and some maths skills, and you'll work outdoors much of the time
- Progress into supervisory roles or set up your own business
Work at a depot for timber and wood products. This role would suit you if you like working outdoors as most of your time would be spent outdoors in the yard.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Loading and unloading timber supplies by hand or using a forklift truck
- Moving and stacking timber
- Sorting and labelling wood into sizes and types
- Transferring timber to the sawmill or workshop
- Trimming the timber to size using basic cutting and sawing tools
- Treating timber, for example with preservatives
- Updating paper and computer records
- Making deliveries
- Advising customers
- Processing orders
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Working in a sawmill or warehouse can also get very noisy and dusty, and work could be physically demanding with some heavy lifting at times.
You'll need
There are no set requirements, but some employers may ask for GCSEs in subjects like maths, English, and design and technology, or a level 1 college qualification in construction. You'll need maths skills to work out quantities and make accurate measurements, practical ability, and customer care skills.
It'll help you find work if you have some experience of warehouse or manual work.
Experience in operating a forklift truck would also be useful.
If your job includes deliveries to customers, you'll need a standard driving licence to use a van, or a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licence for a delivery wagon.
You could also get into this job through an apprenticeship.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could progress to supervisory work in the yard, mill or shop. You could also move into related areas like training and assessing, sales and marketing, or timber importing.