Furniture designer : Training

As a designer you will need to continue to build your portfolio, develop your skills and attract new contacts throughout your career. It is vital to keep up to date with developments in materials, equipment and design trends by attending and exhibiting your work at trade shows and exhibitions. Professional journals such as Design Week  are useful sources of information on latest trends and news.

Joining a professional body such as the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD)  is also useful. Membership can provide professional recognition, access to advice, opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) and industry contacts.

Many designers choose to enhance or consolidate existing skills by taking short courses offered by local colleges and design organisations. Those interested in self-employment may also develop additional practical skills such as upholstery and carpentry. Courses in computer-aided design (CAD) can also be useful. Further study also provides the opportunity to experiment, diversify or obtain specialist knowledge to open up new areas of expertise and is a good way of developing your career.

Formal training is unlikely to be provided for new recruits as employers expect the basic skills to be in place already. However, companies may provide training days on new technologies and software or on company policies and procedures. New recruits may be supervised by a design director, but most companies do not allocate individual mentors.