The Lviv Furniture Cluster and the Ukrainian National Forestry University are launching a new intake for the practical programme “School of Furniture Making 2.0: From Drawing to Finished Product.”
Can you master a new professional field in just two weeks if you have never worked in the furniture industry before? And can training provide more than just a certificate — can it actually help you understand how modern furniture manufacturing works?
“School of Furniture Making 2.0” is not a course focused on a single software programme or a series of theoretical lectures. Participants go through the key stages of a cabinet furniture designer’s work step by step: from the initial concept and 3D model to technical drawings, production documentation, manufacturing their own product, and visits to real companies.
One of the main reasons people postpone changing careers is the fear that they need previous experience to get started. For “School of Furniture Making 2.0,” prior experience in furniture manufacturing is not a key requirement.
The programme is designed for people who want to enter the furniture industry, develop a practical technical profession, or systematise the knowledge they already have. It can also be useful for designers and other professionals who want to better understand what happens to a project once it reaches the manufacturing floor.
Another common concern is working with specialised software. Participants do not need to already be experienced SketchUp users or have prior knowledge of other programmes. The training includes 30 hours of practical work in SketchUp, during which participants will learn how to turn an idea into a real 3D furniture model and connect it to the subsequent manufacturing process.
A separate part of the programme focuses on the practical design and construction of cabinet furniture. Participants will work with ergonomics, furniture joints, structural solutions, working drawings and technical documentation.
The next step is preparing the data required for actual manufacturing operations, including cutting, edge banding, drilling and other processes. This helps participants understand the complete connection between their drawings and what happens directly on the production floor.
Another important principle of the programme is learning through a specific product. During “School of Furniture Making 2.0,” participants will work on a three-drawer bedside cabinet. They will follow the entire process, from designing the structure and creating the model to preparing documentation, ordering the necessary manufacturing operations and assembling the finished product.
This makes it possible to see the consequences of one’s own design decisions. If the construction, hardware or technological operation has been considered incorrectly, the problem will become apparent not only on paper. That is why working on an actual product provides much deeper practical understanding than studying individual topics through lectures.
Participants will see modern manufacturing processes directly at furniture companies, gain a better understanding of how equipment works, and see how technical documentation is used in a real production cycle. The specific list of companies will be announced separately.
For someone just beginning to explore the profession, this is an important part of the programme. It helps answer a question that cannot be fully addressed in a classroom:
What does a furniture designer’s work actually look like, and what does manufacturing expect from them?
The programme does not end with a certificate. After completing the course, participants will have the opportunity to undertake internships in the design departments of companies that are members of the Lviv Furniture Cluster.
For the furniture industry, training qualified professionals is no longer simply an educational issue. Companies need people who understand modern technologies, can work with digital tools, and at the same time understand the connection between design and manufacturing.
This is the focus of the cooperation between the Lviv Furniture Cluster and the Ukrainian National Forestry University. The Cluster is consistently developing educational initiatives aimed at reducing the gap between academic knowledge and the real needs of furniture companies.
As noted by Orest Kiyko, Professor at the Ukrainian National Forestry University and Head of the Department of Furniture and Wood Products Technology, one of the key challenges for the furniture industry is ensuring a sufficient number of highly qualified professionals. He emphasises the need to combine theoretical education at universities with the practical mastery of modern technologies directly within companies.
“The greatest need of furniture industry entrepreneurs is a sufficient number of highly qualified professionals. We are used to saying that education is something young people need. But in fact, it is also needed by those who want to move forward. In the furniture industry, simply having experience is not enough. It is important to keep learning, discover new approaches and understand where the industry is heading.”
For the Lviv Furniture Cluster, the development of programmes like this is part of a systematic approach to the future of the industry.
“We must take responsibility for promoting our industry. Our task is to show that the furniture business is developing, that we are hiring new people and that we can help them create their own businesses,” says Oksana Straz, Executive Director of the Lviv Furniture Cluster.
“School of Furniture Making 2.0” is suitable for those who want to change their professional direction, start working in the furniture industry, or gain systematic knowledge of cabinet furniture design and manufacturing. Previous experience as a furniture maker is not required.
If you are interested in a profession that combines digital tools, technical solutions and a tangible finished product, this programme offers an opportunity to test yourself in practice.
The training will take place offline over 14 days, with a total workload of 110 hours. Classes will be held in Lviv from 10:00 to 16:00. The programme starts in October 2026.
Participation fee: UAH 9,900.
This is an opportunity to spend two weeks not simply learning more about the furniture industry, but completing your first professional cycle: from an idea and 3D model to technical drawings, manufacturing, a finished product and a potential internship with an industry company.
Places are limited.
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