Aspiring joiners: the first graduates from Devoto Joinery School

Devoto aspiring joiners: the first apprentices have successfully completed the joinery school with Claudio Devoto. 

“It’s been exciting..”

“It was a great experience…”

“A positive and interesting experience… ” 

(this is what the aspiring joiners said)

The first course for joiners – planned and strongly wanted by Claudio Devoto and Cecilia Devoto – successfully ended a couple of weeks ago.

“IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY made of both theory and practice, such as the use of common machinery and the interpretation of technical drawings. At the end of the course all apprentices designed and manufactured a piece of furniture. The manufacts were judged by an expert joiner (Davide Roncon from Falegnameria Roncon). He said he was deeply struck by the good amount of information the participants had acquired in such a short time and he was happy to help us select the three of them that have now started the internship..” 

(Claudio Devoto)

3 apprentices selected for a paid internship…

We are wholly satisfied with the result, the involvement, the applications we received and with the interest arisen.. Out of 6 participants, 3 have been selected for a paid internship.

For this reason, we want to thank those who supported us all along and those who made it possible for us to make this school happen and be a great success.

We thank the local authorities that supported us and praised our initiative: Informagiovani and Comune di Cisterna di Latina in the person of its mayor Valentino Mantini, Porta Futuro Lazio, Astrolabio, Saip formazione, Caterina Bosco.

We also thank the teachers and partners that helped Devoto throughout – they welcomed this initiative with great enthusiasm and involvement:

• Davide Roncon (Falegnameria Roncon)
• Giuseppe Loiacono from Studio ASQ (Safety procedures at work)
• Claudia Carolini (Basics of communication psycology)
• Ilaria Calicchia (The organization of production)
• Advanced Advisor Leonardo Valle (The importance of crafts)
• CGIL and UIL Latina (Trade Unions and workers’ rights) 

And of course we thank the 6 selected apprentices who approached this experience with commitment and enthusiasm; we hope we taught them how to be curios, professional and passionate about this job that is part of us and that we love and respect much.

We also thank all the young people who got in touch and applied for the course: the interest these aspiring joiners showed for the course really surprised and touched us.

“THE JOINERY SCHOOL  has given these young people the basics of  the job. Thanks to it, they can aspire to become good joiners because they learnt what a joiner SHOULD BE and SHOULD KNOW. I strongly believe in this methodology of teaching and of trasmitting knowledge.. I also believe it is a formula that other crafts that otherwise would disappear could adopt…” (Claudio Devoto)

Devoto joinery school: to be continued…

We are delighted to announce – through the words of Cecilia Devoto – that we are planning to start other courses like this:

“A PROJECT WE REALLY WANTED. We’re happy we’ve found three valid candidates that have what it takes to become good joiners; they have just started an internship that will enventually turn into an apprenticeship. This initiative was well welcomed by the local authorities and other companies like us didn’t miss the chance to acknowledge the validity of the intuition we had, a good way to answer the present market demands. And it was fun! Both apprentices and teachers established an informal and relaxed atmosphere from the very beginning, with great emotional involvement. Sure we will repeat this experience next year, and we will also look for more funds that could help us involve other joineries and make this course a replicable format…” (Cecilia Devoto)

What do the three aspiring joiners say about the school?

In conclusion, here is what some of the six participants said about their experience at the joinery school at the end of the journey.

“I DECIDED TO ATTEND THIS SCHOOL for different reasons. First of all for personal curiosity and passion, but also to get the practical dimension  of the knowledge I’ve acquired during my university studies. My expectations were fulfilled. This course let my classmates and I get into the thick of things, experimenting with materials and using different machines from the very beginning. This experience taught me how to work with raw materials and it also helped me understand what stands behind a manufacturing company, all the activities and figures that work together. It was an absolutely positive and interesting experience – and instructive of course. It really helped understand all the work that is behind a product and the challenges you need to face to make it.” (Laura)

“I think I’ve learnt a lot…”

“THE COURSE WAS EXCITING even though it lasted less than I would have liked. Nonetheless it was enough to let us fall in love with this job. What I liked the most was the chance to touch and experiment with the raw materials, to witness the production processes from the start to the installation – something it’s been important to me to aknowledge all the activities and processes behind a poduct. I think I’ve learnt a lot.. I say it’s a great experience that it is not easy to find and that hardly ever is offered to young people who want to approach the world of work… and that’s the reason why I would do it again.” (Umberto)

“This experience changed me..”

“THIS COURSE HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE because quite nobody knows about joinery, especially young people. The course was intense and instructive, and we had the chance to do lots of things and experiment a lot. This experience changed me in a way: now I happen to look at buildings or pieces of furniture in another way. I see and imagine all the work behind them. Now I can tell one kind of wood from the other, I know how they grow and how to mantain them. Of course I know it is too early to say that I’ve learnt a job.. but this is a good start. I’m so glad I was selected and had the chance to learn from the joiners at Devoto. Their capability and passion have been a great encouragement for me to do better and go on… ” (Vijay)

For more information about Devoto Joinery School

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