Published on : Thursday, July 24, 2014
A pilot course of furnishing industry experience was successfully completed by four students this month.
As part of expanding education programme, this summer The Furniture Makers’ Company have just finished a pilot course to give four of the brightest and best young talent in the furnishing industry an intensive three-week experience where they had an unrivalled opportunity to learn about all aspects of the furnishing industry supply chain. Only The Furniture Makers’ Company, with its unique network of contacts, can provide such a course.
Over the three weeks the group covered components and raw materials, the complexity of manufacturing, testing, buying criteria, pricing, marketing, merchandising, customer service, consumer law and after sales.
Seventeen companies all over the UK hosted tours, presentations and seminars for the group, including:
• Corporate Members – Axminster Tools & Machinery, Blum, CDUK, DFS, John Lewis Partnership, KI and M&S
• Supporters – Burbidge, Cabinet Maker, Crofts & Assinder, Ercol, FIRA, The Furniture Ombudsman, Halstock, Hypnos, Panaz and UBM.
The four young professionals were nominated by their own companies to attend the course, which culminated in a presentation at Furniture Makers’ Hall to a group of VIPs, Liverymen and representatives from the companies involved. The four are:
• Simon Attard, Graphics and Marketing Assistant at Panaz, having completed an MA Painting at University of the Arts London, and a BA Hons Painting at University College Falmouth, Cornwall.
• Kelly Baker works for Axminster Tools & Machinery in Specialist Sales Business Development. She has a BA Hons degree in English Literature and Media Communications from Bath Spa University.
• Manon Martel works for Ercol as a Supply Chain Co-ordinator, following a BScSoc in Management Sciences and French from the University of Southampton, with an Erasmus year abroad at L’Ecole de Traduction et Interprétation, Université de Genève.
• Thomas Winfield works for Blum UK as a Sales Administrator, following an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration at Aylesbury College.
The Master, Paul von der Heyde, said: “I am thrilled to be celebrating a successful pilot of our Industry Experience course with all those who have made it happen. We have received so much generous support from all sectors of the industry.
“The four young professionals, who have enjoyed learning everything from design to retail and from fabrics to fitted kitchens, have had the opportunity of a lifetime. I am sure it will stand them in good stead for great careers in our growing industry.”
Tags: education programme, furnishing industry supply chain, Pilot Course, The Furniture Makers’ Company
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