May 11, 2026 · 28 min · 23 segments
**In this episode, Robin Clevett shares two stories from Carpentry and Joinery centred around apprenticeships. First, apprentice Rhys Mitchell joins us to share his journey into the trade, the lessons…
And recently I was invited up to Derby College, where they were holding the 47th, the 47th Merlane Trophy, which is run by the Institute of Carpenters, of which, um, I'm on, I'm, I'm on the board.
This is a final of all of the regional colleges as far afield as Doncaster, and you've got, uh, Northampton, and you've got all these, these areas.
They put their best students in, who've already competed locally, to compete in a four-hour practical exam where they built a hipped roof, um, with prepared timber.
They all had exactly the same tools, and it was fantastic just seeing the level of the, or the standard, um, the, the accuracy, the way they approached it, and, um, it really did, as I say, warmed my heart.
But in between some of these examples, a lot of the colleges are struggling, again, finding tutors, finding people coming from, to come from industry and go into, go into teaching.
And it's interesting because, um, like Rhys said, he w- he's not too keen on, you know, computers.
So when they say, come out of, um, you know, the trades and go into teaching, there's a lot of that, uh, stuff to do.
I just wanted to take this time to thank all of those amazing lecturers from all of those colleges in that area that got behind the Merlane Trophy, which is something, as I say, this is the 47th year, um, to actually get their students to practice, to compete with each other, to then get into the final.
And recently I was invited up to Derby College, where they were holding the 47th, the 47th Merlane Trophy, which is run by the Institute of Carpenters, of which, um, I'm on, I'm, I'm on the board.
This is a final of all of the regional colleges as far afield as Doncaster, and you've got, uh, Northampton, and you've got all these, these areas.
They put their best students in, who've already competed locally, to compete in a four-hour practical exam where they built a hipped roof, um, with prepared timber.
They all had exactly the same tools, and it was fantastic just seeing the level of the, or the standard, um, the, the accuracy, the way they approached it, and, um, it really did, as I say, warmed my heart.
But in between some of these examples, a lot of the colleges are struggling, again, finding tutors, finding people coming from, to come from industry and go into, go into teaching.
And it's interesting because, um, like Rhys said, he w- he's not too keen on, you know, computers.
So when they say, come out of, um, you know, the trades and go into teaching, there's a lot of that, uh, stuff to do.
I just wanted to take this time to thank all of those amazing lecturers from all of those colleges in that area that got behind the Merlane Trophy, which is something, as I say, this is the 47th year, um, to actually get their students to practice, to compete with each other, to then get into the final.
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