Elite Woodworking Academy provides a unique and highly personalized method of learning, creating an environment to nurture, educate and encourage creativity in individuals to achieve the highest level of success. Browse through our site to learn more about what we have to offer.

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CREATING COMMUNITY

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Whether you choose to be a member, enroll in our seminars to build furniture or take our specialized cabinetry construction classes, we want you to know that being associated with EWA means you are apart of our community! There are so many advantages to enjoy. Surrounded by like minded individuals wanting to learn the art of woodworking and having the support of professional woodworking staff will hopefully change your journey in life. You will soon find your self shopping for houseware items like furniture, cutting boards and the like and say "how amazing would it be to make that - and be able to appreciate that I did" or be able to give someone one of these invaluable gifts that they will cherish for a lifetime. What we hope to do is inspire you to be creative, understand that with the right skills, you can do anything you put your mind too. This is not just a woodworking class, its a therapeutic environment where we come to be free and challenge ourselves with skills we never thought we would ever have.

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LEARNING THE INDUSTRY CHALLENGES 

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In today's modern economy time is money and materials are expensive. Many employers have a hard time investing in staff when the costs are often to high of making a mistake. It takes years to get good at a trade and the only way you will get there is through practice and making those mistakes.

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CHANGING AN INDUSTRY REALITY

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I remember as a first year apprentice being eager to learn and often not being able to turn to a co-worker because they were worried you might pick up their tricks and soon leave them without a job. In fact, this actually happen to me and a fellow co-worker. During the 2008 recession, I was a first - year apprentice and as I was so eager to learn and be the best I could be at the trade I ended up putting the guy next to me doing the same job out of work because when the time came for the boss to make a decision they picked the low paid apprentice who was eager to learn and developing quickly doing the same work for less pay.

 

When this happens, it creates a stigma for teaching those who are new to a job/career. Often creating hostility and unnecessary conflict between co-workers.  I saw people walk away from the trades because of encounters like these and because of this experience I feel the need to try and address the problem. Elite Woodworking Academy is a place whereby we encourage learning, thrive on knowledge and prepare you with practice so that you go into the real world of wood careers with a set of skills that may give you a competitive edge over others. We learn early in the program the value of soft skills in life - which are showing up on time (early), giving 100% effort and above all learning the skills that will set you apart from the competition. 

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UNDERSTANDING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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There is so much to understand of the creative process whereby you take a raw material like wood and turn it into something usable. It means you must be good at envisioning the end product before you begin to avoid mistakes. This is where proper training comes in. At EWA we create a space where we start with the end in mind. Along the way, mistakes happen so that we learn from them. Our outlook of the use of time and materials is not as a cost but as an opportunity to learn. We take the burden of mistakes on materials and the loss of time so that employers aren't having too. With this said, we do not expect to create a wood artisan that makes no mistakes but rather we venture to create a craftsperson that limits mistakes from happening and understands how to recover from those mistakes when needed. Throughout my teaching career, I often would say the art in the craft of cabinetry is making the imperfect look perfect and making the perfect fit the imperfect space; when you have perfected this you have won 50% of the battle. Through all of this, I understand that hands on skills are often difficult to grasp without carrying out the actual activity. As we practice or dive into more "practicum" as we often call it in academics the student often finds that becoming good at this trade means you must be confident. Self - Confidence and learning go hand in hand with this trade. We are often putting our selves at a health and safety risk through much of this learning and so the real learning comes after we have established that all students are able to confidently use all of the equipment in the shop. It can be quite intimidating to be behind equipment that can quite literally rip the material from your hands and throw it right back at you in a manner you have no control over; which is another attribute you will need - CONTROL. Being confident in your abilities allows you to control hostile situations. Mandatory safety sessions and tool passports are required here at EWA so that we know that you have achieved the highest level of safety training. Moreover, mistakes become less common when you are confident and in control and as this happens your creativity grows along with the knowledge you will gain from the courses at EWA. 

 

With our passionate teachers, exceptional staff and a talented student community, we are confident in the education, guidance and network you will find here. Take control of your future and learn a skill that you love because if you do a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life.