Apprentice Upholsterer

An enthusiastic Apprentice to join our Upholstery team. The successful candidate will be trained in all aspects of Upholstery through WEBS structured training programme as well as on the job training. Learn practical skills and techniques to produce different types of soft furniture.

Apprenticeship summary

Being an Upholsterer, you will be required to work in anyone of a wide range of production environments. Workplaces can be a variety of size from small work-shops through to large commercial factories; either way you will need to be able to work independently and as a part of team.

Duties of an upholsterer could include:

• Stripping down items of furniture from covers back to the wooden frame
• Prepare frames for upholstery including adding different densities of foams and fibres
• Using a wide range of spring systems including serpentine, super loop, box spring units
• Filling cushions using fibre, foam and feathers
• Working with a large range of materials including fabrics and leathers
• Cutting various materials for ready for upholstery
• Tension and straining materials to position them
• Patten matching fabrics within tolerance
• Using a range of trimmings and finishing’s including buttons, facings, piping and decorative studs
• Using traditional methods such as slip stitch, tacking and hand sewing
• Using traditional fillings including coir fibre, horse hair, hessian and cotton felt
• Using wide range compressed air equipment including clip, frame, staple, pin and vertex guns
• Use a range of hand tools including scissors, shears, staple lifter, tin snips, hammers mallets and pincers
• Creating different types of pleats including scroll arm, envelope and puckering
• Cutting materials with templates
• Sewing fabrics ready for upholstery
• Good housekeeping and general labouring duties
• Good organisation workloads ready production
• Working with mechanical components from recliner actions to bed actions
• Completing leather repair and service work to furniture
• Checking and ordering new stock, managing storage of stock
• Working as part of a team on piece work production
• Working independently, using your own initiative

Weekly wage

£192.40 to £380.00

Working week

Monday – Friday 7am – 4pm

Total hours per week: 40.00

Expected duration

16 months

Possible start date

04 Oct 2022

Date posted

24 Nov 2021

Apprenticeship level

Intermediate Level 2 (GCSE)

Requirements and prospects

Desired skills

Skills required to becoming an Upholster:

• Excellent attitude
• Be punctual
• Be able to adjust to working on different designs and models of furniture
• Excellent team working skills
• Basic numeracy skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Being able to work within a factory environment
• Being able to work confidently under pressure
• The ability to meet targets and deadlines

Personal qualities

• Excellent attitude and attendance
• Willingness to learn
• Enthusiastic and practical
• Friendly and be passionate about the role

Desired qualifications

None required, however the successful candidate will work towards their Functional Skills in both maths and English if they have not achieved prior or have an equivalent.

Future prospects

Progression Opportunities:

• Advanced Apprenticeship in Modern Upholstery, traditional Upholstery, Supervision or Furniture design and Prototyping
• Progression within the organisation to include more responsibility and wider range of production work