training is one of Sylva Foundation’s core values
Last week we were very proud to host an international competition in cabinetmaking for WorldSkills UK. We welcomed participants from Chinese Taipei, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Our Wood School workshops are equipped with industry-standard machinery making them the perfect choice for a pressure test of this kind. The WorldSkills Competition is the world’s…
We are proud to announce the launch of a unique collection of furniture, the most recent collaboration with iconic British furniture manufacturer ercol. Through our long standing partnership we aim to inspire and educate the next generation of designers, makers, consumers and woodland owners in the value of home-grown timber. Designed in-house and crafted in…
This International Women’s Day, we were thrilled to see our Woodworking and Gender project take center stage. The project was highlighted by our major funder, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as a leading example of how to reshape the heritage skills sector. The Fund celebrated the women and marginalised communities who are reshaping spaces in…
Knowing what is growing in your woodland is of critical importance for sustainable woodland management. For the uninitiated, the multitude of technical terms for the different sorts of data that can be recorded, and the different ways in which individual trees and stands can be measured, may seem daunting. We’ve created this guide to simplify…
We’re now accepting applications for the 2026 Woodworking & Gender 6-Week Workshop Experience Course, running 11 May – 18 June 2026 at Sylva Wood School, Oxfordshire.
Cat Poppensieker, Project Coordinator, offers her reflections of the Woodworking and Gender Project project to date.
The Furniture Makers’ Company and the Sylva Foundation are launching the Woodworking Teachers Network – a new national initiative designed to connect, support, and empower educators working in woodworking and furniture making education. The network emerges as a direct response to the findings of a comprehensive survey conducted in spring 2025, which gathered the views…
Reflections from our first six week ‘Workshop Experience’ course, an immersive learning programme designed to open doors into woodworking and furniture making for people historically excluded from the industry.
Congratulations to our Wood School Senior Tutor Phil Gullam on receiving the Master Certificate from The Furniture Makers Company!
Ready to take your first steps into the furniture-making industry? This 6-week course offers hands-on training, technical skills, and the support you need to build your confidence and pursue a career in furniture. Whether you’re a recent graduate, career switcher, or looking for an entry point, this programme is tailored for you. Application are now open for our 6-week workshop experience as part of our Woodworking and Gender Project.