Take your carpentry and joinery skills to the next level.
The PDA Advanced Craft in Carpentry and Joinery (Level 7) is a stand-alone qualification designed for qualified tradespeople who have already completed SVQ Level 3 and PDA Level 6 in Carpentry and Joinery.
This advanced course builds on your existing skills, enhancing both your practical craftsmanship and technical understanding. You’ll attend college over 11 one-week blocks spread across the year, including a dedicated two-week block focused on complex stair construction. Between blocks, you’ll continue gaining essential on-site experience with your employer.
Training takes place in our fully equipped workshops and classrooms, guided by experienced lecturers who specialise in high-level finishing, precision work, and sustainable construction methods.
This course is ideal if you:
Are a qualified Carpentry and Joinery apprentice or tradesperson who has achieved SVQ Level 3 and PDA Level 6.
Want to enhance your craft and technical ability to an advanced standard.
Are aiming to progress into supervisory, specialist, or technical roles within the construction industry.
You’ll build advanced practical and problem-solving skills while gaining confidence in technical communication and sustainable building methods.
During your time at college, you’ll study:
Construction Technical Communication Skills – produce and interpret detailed technical drawings and site information.
High-Class Finishing and Specialist Doors – perfect precision work and quality finishes across a range of joinery projects.
Complex Roof Construction – learn how to plan, set out, and construct advanced roofing structures.
Complex Timber Stairs – design and build stairs with tapered treads and intricate details.
Windows and Screens – manufacture and install high-quality joinery components to industry standards.
New and Sustainable Building Technologies – explore modern, eco-friendly methods used in today’s construction sector.
Site Measuring and Setting Out – refine your accuracy and efficiency in measurement and layout.
Applicants should:
✅ Have achieved SVQ Level 3 and PDA Level 6 in Carpentry and Joinery.
✅ Be currently employed full-time within the construction industry.
✅ Successfully complete a college interview prior to acceptance.
ℹ️ For this course, if English is not your first language
you need to have QS ESOL Higher (or equivalent, click here to see equivalent qualifications)
If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment here at the College.
This qualification enhances your skills as a tradesperson and supports progression into:
🪚 Advanced Craft Carpenter or Joiner
🏗️ Site or Workshop Supervisor
🧱 Construction Technician
🧰 Estimator or Site Foreperson
🏢 Self-Employed Specialist Joiner
On completion, you’ll hold a Professional Development Award at SCQF Level 7, recognised across the construction industry.
Graduates can progress to:
The HNC Construction Management at Glasgow Kelvin College.
Higher-level technical or supervisory roles within the construction sector.
This PDA will not only sharpen your craft but also strengthen your professional standing in the trade — bridging practical skill with technical expertise.
I just think the variety, like everybody that comes in through the door, there's such a variety of students. There's a variety of work that we can do. There's just no one doing one day the same. It's like constantly changing.
Everybody's really welcoming, so it is a friendly college.
In terms of courses, there's loads of different courses available to different people.
There's from young kids from 14, 15, who maybe school isn't the route for them. They could come to college instead of going to school.
There is a couple of courses that's available, especially in the joinery department, or in the construction department, where young kids can come in, and then right through to kids leaving school, and then even adult apprentices coming in through the door
The younger ones it's about building their life skills as well as their hand skills so we're using joinery and bricklaying and other trade areas as a kind of tool where we can build a relationship with them a personal relationship and build them in confidence and everything else so that they're ready for the world to work
We've got obviously young kids at 16, 17 leaving school and unsure of what avenue they want to come down, so a lot of the skills that we build in here are transferable as well.
So in the construction industry, measuring, cutting, sewing, you can use it in joinery, bricklaying, whatever, so they can transfer these skills into other areas of work, but also into their life in general.
