Australian Cabinet & Furniture Association

MSF30322 Certificate III in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology
This certificate gives you practical skills in designing, constructing, and finishing timber products. You’ll work with industry tools and engage in real projects that prepare you for work in cabinet making, joinery, furniture production and related trades.

Australian School-Based Apprenticeship (ASBA) – Cabinet Making
Start your cabinet-making career while still at school. An ASBA allows you to complete units from the MSF30322 Certificate III in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology while gaining hands-on experience with an employer. You’ll develop practical skills using industry tools and materials, building real projects that prepare you for a full-time apprenticeship and a career in cabinet making, joinery and furniture production.

• Duration: Typically 3 years workplace apprenticeship
• Delivery: Workplace-based practical training + block workshops
• Outcomes: Qualification for cabinet making roles, pathways to further specialist timber trade skills

Core Skill Areas

Students develop skills in:

• Using hand and power tools
• Operating woodworking machinery
• Interpreting plans and specifications
• Constructing cabinets and furniture
• Assembling and installing joinery components
• Applying safe work practices
• Measuring, cutting and finishing materials

🔨 Apprenticeship

• Typically 3–4 years of paid employment with an industry employer
• Workplace training plus structured block study time, including both online and one-on-one training with an ACFA Trainer
• Nationally recognised trade qualification

🎓 Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASBA) – ACT

• Start while in Years 10, 11 or 12
• Combine paid part-time employment with school studies
• Contributes towards your ACT Senior Secondary Certificate
• Gain real industry experience before finishing school
• Pathway into a full-time apprenticeship after Year 12

ASBA’s are ideal for students who enjoy practical learning, design, manufacturing, and working with timber.

ACFA training is delivered through a practical, hands-on model designed to build real workplace skills. Apprentices and ASBAs learn on the job with an industry employer, gaining daily experience using tools, materials and production techniques in a real workshop environment. This is supported by one-on-one training sessions with an experienced ACFA Trainer to reinforce skills and monitor progress, along with dedicated weekly online theory components to strengthen technical knowledge and underpinning industry standards.

What are possible Career Outcomes at the Completion of Training:
• Cabinet Maker
• Furniture Maker
• Joiner
• Shopfitter
• Timber Machinist
• Pathways to advanced trade qualifications or business ownership

Q: Do I need prior experience?
A: No — just a willingness to learn and a passion for making things with timber.