About 4 of every 10 were self-employed. Carpenters are employed throughout the country in almost every community. Some pick up skills informally by working under the supervision of experienced workers. Many acquire skills through vocational education. Others participate in employer training programs or apprenticeships.
Most employers recommend an apprenticeship as the best way to learn carpentry.
Because the number of apprenticeship programs is limited, however, only a small proportion of carpenters learn their trade through these programs. On the job, apprentices learn elementary structural design and become familiar with common carpentry jobs such as layout, form building, rough framing, and outside and inside finishing. They also learn to use the tools, machines, equipment, and materials of the trade. Apprentices receive classroom instruction in safety, first aid, blueprint reading and freehand sketching, basic mathematics, and different carpentry techniques. Both in the classroom and on the job, they learn the relationship between carpentry and the other building trades.