Furniture Makers’ Company seeks rising talent for 2026 Young Professional Industry Experience

The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, is accepting nominations for its 2026 Young Professional Industry Experience.

The 2025 YPIE group visiting Designer Contracts

The programme provides aspiring young people working in the industry with a unique opportunity to visit sector-leading companies and gain insight into all areas of the wider trade. These include materials, design, manufacturing, pricing, marketing, sales and customer service.

It’s aimed at young professionals with three years’ or less industry experience who have shown promise and would benefit from the opportunity to gain a 360-degree perspective of the entire trade.

Eight young people will be selected to take part in a tour of around 20 companies. The programme will include masterclasses with businesses such as Anti Copying in Design, Hypnos, G Plan Upholstery, Ocee & Four Design, Panaz, SATRA and the Sylva Foundation.

The deadline for applications is Friday 30 January. Applicants will be informed if they have progressed to the shortlisting stage in early March, with short virtual interviews taking place later the same month. The programme will run for two weeks – previously three – from Monday 1 June to Friday 12 June, with a presentation lunch for employers and industry stakeholders taking place later in the summer.

Jennifer Seastone, a participant in 2025, said: “It was amazing that so many successful people took time out to really show us the inner workings of their businesses and what was important to them personally. It was also great meeting people pursuing different careers and learning about their processes.”

The programme is free to attend, although employers are required to cover the travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of their employees during the two-week programme.

Jonny Westbrooke, CEO of The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “We’re delighted to be refining the Young Professional Industry Experience in response to feedback from across the industry. By moving to a focused two-week programme rather than three, we can make it more accessible for both employers and participants, while still delivering the same breadth, depth and impact of experience that makes this initiative so valuable.”

For more information, contact Heather McIntosh, Education and Training Manager at The Furniture Makers’ Company, at heather@furnituremakers.org.uk.

To nominate someone for the Young Professional Industry Experience, please complete the application form here: https://tinyurl.com/4wdtv5n9