The UK timber industry is a substantial sector amounting to £2.1 billion in traded timber and timber products in 2002. The sector consists of different traded commodities including softwood, hardwoods and panel products, such as MDF, OSB and plywood.

Different types of business make up the trade including importers, merchants and agents and there are a range of career and job opportunities available. For example, branch sites of large timber and builders’ merchants carry out specialist activities such as sawmilling, timber treatment and the manufacture and assembly of timber products such as roof trusses and timber frame houses.

With a wide variety of businesses operating in the industry there are large number of career and job opportunities available. There are however five main categories of employment covering sales, storage and distribution, sawmilling, management and administration.

There are jobs available as machinists, yard operatives, mill assistants, side-loaders, fork-lift truck drivers, mechanics, kiln operatives, sales staff, warehouse staff, LGV drivers, accounts and administrative staff as well as management roles. There are also a growing number of vacancies in marketing, information technology, corporate social responsibility and environmental management.

The timber industry makes full use of modern technology and working practices and today’s employees have to be multi-skilled, good communicators and IT literate. There are vacancies throughout the industry for the recent school leaver to the post-graduate.

The Institute of Wood Science and the Timber Trade Federation are collaborating together to improve the training provision within the sector and a number of distance learning courses are available to assist with your progress and career development. Details can be found on www.iwsc.org.uk

If you are interested in a career in the industry and would like your availability to be known, then please email your CV to [email protected] and we can distribute it to our Member companies.