FAQs

At the BCC we teach carpentry and woodwork, bricklaying, and stonemasonry for our mainstream courses. We also teach short courses in these areas, plus additional subjects such as plastering and stained glass.

All of our mainstream courses are held on weekdays during the day. We do not currently offer any accredited courses on an evening or weekend timetable.

Our short courses are typically held on weekday evenings, with some taking place on Saturdays and others during half term.

As we are a college we work to the academic year, meaning we regularly have breaks throughout the year where no teaching takes place. The college is often closed during these times such as summer and Christmas breaks and students are not able to use the workshops during this time. You can find the term dates for 25/26 in the Useful Links section below!

Our applications typically open in October with interviews starting in January. For those that apply during our Priority Applications (October - November) we aim to respond by the end of December with a view to interviewing in January.

We aim to respond to all applications within 3 weeks of receiving them with an invite to an interview. This is done via email, with a link sent to the applicant where they can choose a date and time for their interview that suits them.

During your interview, which is often conducted in groups, you will meet the tutor of the course and go on a tour of the facilities. The tutor will ask questions and want to get to know you, your experience (if you have any), your goals and career objectives, and any motivating factors you might have for joining one of our courses. At the end of your interview you will be asked to undertake a short maths & English initial assessment, typically done in our test room. This is standard for all applicants regardless of age or course.

Providing we have the results from your initial assessments, and the tutor is happy for you to join, you will be sent an offer letter. Those aged 16-18 only need to provide verbal confirmation of whether they accept the place or not. For fee paying students who are 19+ we require a £500 non-refundable deposit which is put towards their first terms fees. This is often requested within one month of the offer being made, though this is subject to change. Your place is only secure on the course once we have received the £500 deposit.

The first terms fees are typically required some time before the first term starts. As of 2026 this deadline is August 1st. For the second and third terms fees the deadlines are December 1st and March 19th respectively.

Places on most of our courses are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Our Furniture Design & Making course is done slightly differently, and while applying earlier does increase your chances of gaining a place on the course, ultimately it is down to tutor discretion.

Our courses are available to those aged 16 and over, with each course catering to different ages. Some courses, such as the Site Carpentry L2 Diploma, are only available to 16-18 year olds. Others, such as the Fine Woodwork & Furniture Making course, are only available to 19+ students. Some courses are available to both 16-18 year olds and 19+ students, such as the Bench Joinery L2 Diploma, although the classes are kept separate as the schedule of the two courses differ.

16-18 year olds:

If you are joining one of our 16-18 courses you will not need to pay any course fees as this is government funded.

19+ students:

If you are aged 19 or over on August 31st of the year your studying begins you will need to cover the course fees yourself, as the government funding only applies to those 18 or younger. Course fees can be paid upfront, yearly, or termly (3 instalments per year). There is funding available from various sources which can be applied for during your application process, you can find more info on this in the Useful Links section at the bottom of this page.

No prior experience is required, all of our courses are suitable for absolute beginners. We do not expect our applicants to have had any experience in their chosen field, but that's not to say it isn't welcome! We start from the very beginning for each subject and work our way up by teaching the basics and fundamentals of the craft.

16-18 year old applicants will need to have a grade 4 or above in their English and maths GCSE's. If they do not have a grade 4 in either they will need to continue studying that subject whilst at the college, as is government policy. This does not apply to 19+ applicants.

Instead of experience and qualifications, we look for passion, motivation, and an interest in the applicants chosen area.

Yes! We host regular open days for you to visit the college, observe the workshops, get up close to our student's work, and ask any questions you might have. This will be a great opportunity for you to discuss the course and see whether it is right for you. You can find the link to our open days sign up page in the Useful Links section below!

Our short courses are evening and weekend run courses, usually in weekly sessions, which run for anywhere between 5-12 weeks. These are intended to be introductory courses for hobbyists and enthusiasts, and those considering taking our mainstream courses looking for a taster before fully committing.

Our short courses do not have qualifications accredited to them and are purely just for experience and/or recreation.

All our short course details can be found on our courses page, and tickets to our short courses can be purchased via Eventbrite. Both of these can be found below in our Useful Links section!

As well as diploma courses, we also offer apprenticeships. These differ in a number of ways:

• Apprenticeships require employment - In order to attend the BCC as an apprentice you must first find a company that would be willing to take you on under an apprenticeship. This is down to prospective students to find as the BCC is unable to source employment for applicants
• Apprenticeships typically take more time - Our diploma courses can range anywhere from 2-5 days per week over 1-2 years to complete. Apprenticeships are 5 days per week for a minimum of 2 years, with some taking up to 3 years
• Apprentices get paid - Those on an apprenticeship will receive either an hourly wage or a salary, as opposed to those on a diploma course. The employer will pay the wages whilst most of the education cost is funded by the government
• Apprentices get workplace experience - Around 20% of your time as an apprentice will be spent with us at the BCC, the remainder of your time will be spent with the company that employs you. This provides valuable workplace experience.  We operate on a block release system at the BCC, meaning you will spend 1-2 weeks with us, and 3-5 weeks with your company on a rolling basis throughout the year

You can find more info on apprenticeships on the government website through the Useful Links section at the bottom of this page!

Employers

For any employers looking to train apprentices, we are able to provide training and support and can organise this for you. Please email us at Admissions@thebcc.ac.uk

Please contact Aliza.Akter@thebcc.ac.uk