Steve Payne
Licensing carpenters is the right idea
Canadian Contractor"I'm sure that in the end grandfathering of experience, etc., will come into effect."
Andrew Teufel, below, wants to license all carpenters. The Ontario College of Trades moved in that direction a year ago, then backed off.
“I’ve held my COQ in general carpentry for over 20 years. Most of us have all seen or watched poor workmanship over the years. Licensing carpenters is the right idea. I’m sure in the end that grandfathering of experience, etc., will come into effect. There are many qualified carpenters working today that need to keep working at their same wage and not go back to school.
That will take some planning but it should be done nonetheless.”
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I think certification is a good idea, however, there are many levels to consider. For example, if your a repair person doing light construction projects and minor repairs in residential and small commercial clients there should be some course to take to certify a worker for this level only. and so on and sp on. in my experience, this would begin the process of career long education and accreditation.
Tough one to call here. I like the idea of certification but how to handle it. First I have seen lots of carpenters that could not do anything well or right. I know of others that are not carpenters but have there own renovation company and call themselves carpenters. How does that work? What about the “handyman” person/label? Just because you have a piece of paper does not mean that you know what you are doing. Kind of like having a drivers licence. Just because you have one does not mean you should be driving but we all do. Just this week again I have to show a carpenter who has been a tradesman for 30 years how to do so basic carpentry work and explain why I wanted it done that way.
You are so very correct in your statement
Even back when i was an an apprentice years ago,
aspiring and aiming to be the best carpenter on gods green earth ,
The one and only retort i would ever have had to” some ” of the older but less competent carpenters i worked with went like this ……
So called carpenter :” I have been doing carpentry for well over 40 years !…you have nothing to teach me young man ! ”
3rd year apprentice :” The fact of the matter is that you have been doing much of your carpentry WRONG for all those years means absolutely nothing to me !
Now look at that 10 yr carpenter over there ….he has done twice the work you have in a day , and at the same rate of pay and twice the quality of yours .
Do you see him taking things apart ? ”
Any grandfathered carpenter should be qualified as such by his employer , or an unbiased entity such as a monitoring firm, employing well seasoned , certified tried and proven mentor carpenters .
Hell !! maybe it would get a lot of retired guys that used to love their work as well as do it with skill and passion to come out of retirement and take on such a task !
First off I have been involved in residential and commercial construction for over 40 years, self employed for 37. I am a journeyman carpenter by trade. I am registered as a renovation contractor by the state of New Jersey. The only thing it does is protect businesses & home owners from uninsured and bad contractors. There are multiple categorizes and levels of expertise involved in carpentry. I have seen excellent framing carpenters that can’t build stairs or hang a door. Also precision cabinet makers that can’t accurately install their own work. I think there should be a trade licensing with category endorsements that reflect expertise levels. This would show the individuals strengths and weaknesses in certain job areas. If the individual wants to add a category or increase a level of expertise there should be a board of administrators, master carpenters, journeymen, etc. Someone from each category of the carpentry trades to review as a group submitted applications. How to actually test the individual is the question. Most endorsements maybe as easy as receiving grades from a trade school, but for others that have been working in the trade for 20 years actual work inspection is best. This is just a quick idea if someone thinks its worth running with let me know!
I’ve been doing construction since i was 12 yrs old with my dad and uncles.
I’m 54 now.Self-Employed.Went to trade school at 20 passed at 98 %.
I’ve worked on houses,high-rises,commercial buildings,hydro dams,bridges,road work,water and sewers,rural,suburban and urban sites.
Now you want me to take a course in what??
So my strength in construction is that there will be always something to learn from a old man to young man because we all have different ideas.
No college can teach that.I’ll give you 1 example like one time i used a flashlite to measured a shadow to make a straight cut.
I should become a teacher just to show the tricks of the TRADE.go figure lol
Or write a booklet.
In regards to your article on licensing carpenters. I’ve read all the comments so far on this article and every reply has a valid point. Good article and good replies Paul Lenart ‘s was so true I couldn’t have said it better my self.
I believe that there are still a few of us ,who have been brought up in a family who were un licensed carpenters. As such much of our experience came from a long process of hands on
Day to day work. I am one of those who has been working as a carpenter now for 43 years. I have to say without a doubt that during these many years I have hired licensed carpenters who know nothing ! They finish a course ,work a few years and get a piece of paper. After which there brain shuts off and they think they know it all.
Being a carpenter is a continual learning process and I learn something every day and it doesn’t come from books.
I don’t understand that I completed my carpenter course everyone should be qualified after completion of all 3 levels just like any course anyone that takes a course are qualified after completion and we should be as licenced carpenter after all 3 are completed