This qualification recognises the foundation skills and knowledge required of employees in a range of solid wood manufacturing industries. The core compulsory section covers industry foundation skills including an understanding of the health, safety, and environmental risks associated with the workplace; the factors that affect performance in the workplace; an introduction to workplace communication; workplace structures and workplace organisation, and physical characteristics of wood.

The core compulsory section of this qualification shares unit standards in common with the National Certificate in Wood Manufacturing Foundation Skills (Wood Panels) (Level 2) [Ref: 1691] and the National Certificate in National Certificate in Wood Manufacturing Foundation Skills (Wood Handling and Distribution) (Level 2) [Ref: 1692]. The core compulsory section of these qualifications recognises skill and knowledge requirements that are transferable across the different wood manufacturing sectors.

The qualification's strands recognise the competencies required to work responsibly and safely in entry level roles in a diverse range of the solid wood manufacturing industries including:
operating and maintaining a cross cut saw centre, and grading and wrapping for defecting operations
knowledge of wood product, wood quality and principles of finger jointing and laminating, and operating stacking, feeding and sawing machinery used in finger jointing and laminating operations
grading, stacking and saw centre operation in pole, post and pile production and knowledge of phytosanitary standards, log yarding, log making and chainsaw use for pole, post and pile operations
knowledge of saws, knives, grinding and sawmilling, and setting circular saws and maintaining cutting tools used in saw doctoring
knowledge of sawmilling principles, phytosanitary standards and timber grading, and operating stacking systems and saw centre machinery, and stock processing in sawmilling operations
knowledge of wood preservation and drying, and storage and handling of timber and chemicals used in timber drying and treatment operations
knowledge of timber machining, wood product, wood quality, drying, and stacking, wrapping and tallying timber for timber machining operations.

This qualification may lead on to the National Certificate in Solid Wood Manufacturing (Level 3) with strands in Engineered Wood Product Operations; Planer Operations; Pole, Post and Pile Operations; Saw Doctoring Operations; Sawmilling Operations; Timber Drying Operations; Timber Grading; and Timber Treatment Operations, [Ref: 1693]; or the National Certificate in Wood Handling and Distribution (Level 3) with strands in Log Yard and Wood Preparation, and Timber Yarding and Despatch [Ref: 1308]; depending on the wood manufacturing operations that candidates are engaged in.