Furniture Advisory Board meets in partnership with Themis

Local furniture manufacturers attended a Furniture Trailblazer Advisory Board meeting, held in partnership with Themis at Burnley College.

In attendance were representatives from seven local businesses, along with Paul Von der Heyde the current Master of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. Paul also officially opened the student furniture exhibition held at Townley Hall.

The meeting has been established to provide businesses with a forum to discuss the funding reforms affecting apprenticeships, as well as the need for the industry to be employer led in developing the new round of standards through the government’s Trailblazer initiative.

A number of topics were discussed during the meeting, with an agreement reached to form a Trailblazer group for Furniture Manufacturing. This application will be submitted to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. John Shaw, head of the construction division at Burnley College said: “The Advisory Boards are a fantastic opportunity to get involved in developing the curriculum the industry needs.”