Fergus Ellis

The course has honestly gone above and beyond what I expected. I thought we’d be doing small projects, but we actually got to build a playhouse for a local kindergarten. I’d never done anything like that before, even in school building classes, so it was an awesome opportunity to learn new skills and gain real experience.

Seeing the finished playhouse was such a cool moment, it felt great knowing we’d put in so much effort and could actually see the result. That was definitely one of the highlights of the course.
Some of the theory was a bit challenging at times, but the tutors were great at breaking it down into manageable chunks and making sure we understood everything before moving on. We had two main tutors, and sometimes other NMIT tutors would step in too. They were funny and easy to talk to, and I liked that they had real industry experience and gave us honest feedback and advice about what it’s like to work in the trade.

I’d definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in building. It’s a great way to pick up practical skills and get a feel for what being a builder is really like. While I was on the course, one of the tutors asked if I’d be keen on some work experience, I jumped at the chance and have since been out working with a local builder. The course gave me a solid introduction to the tools and techniques used in the trade and also helped me build confidence working with others.

I’m hoping to finish school this year and land a building apprenticeship. If that doesn’t work out, I plan to do the Level 3 pre-trade Carpentry course at NMIT.