Navigation trail

• Home page
• Types of jobs
• Creative arts and design
• Furniture designer: Training

Furniture designer: Training

As a designer, you will need to keep up to date with developments in materials, equipment, design trends, trade shows and exhibitions. Professional journals such as Design Week are useful sources of information and joining a professional body such as Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) will be useful for gaining recognition of your skills, access to advice, opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) and industry contacts.

The Design Association (DA) Academy offers a Diploma in Design Business Management, which may be relevant if you are self-employed or freelance. Many designers wish to enhance or consolidate existing skills in order to open up new areas of expertise. Further study provides the opportunity to experiment, diversify or obtain the specialist knowledge required, 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, informal training, in CAD (computer aided design) and product development can be expected as this helps with understanding procedures and company policies. Day and short courses are available for training in specific areas, such as CAD, or CDMR (construction design management regulation) for work related to architecture.

New recruits may be supervised by a design director, but most companies do not allocate individual mentors. Most companies organise lectures or talks on issues such as new technologies, ideas or theories. These tend to be as part of a programme of continuing professional development (CPD).

AGCAS

Written by Rita Kapadia, AGCAS

Last updated:

January 2009

© Copyright AGCAS & Graduate Prospects Ltd | Disclaimer