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The University of Pretoria Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology introduced the York timber Training Week initiative to the undergraduate architecture class of 2022 in October last year. The class was privileged to partake in the initiative, which is the first of its kind, and witness its development stages. York Timber, the largest solid wood processor in South Africa, sponsored the entire programme, which is accessible to all participating students. The initiative's primary goal was to educate the students on timber as a product and its suitability as a construction material. The second goal of the program was to create employment opportunities for students from various partner organisations involved in the initiative.

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The three-week training program took place in January 2023 and was hosted by the program partners. Pretoria-based Architectural practice Earthworld Architects hosted the program's first week from the 16th to the 20th of January. Being in the space allowed students to experience office life and interact with staff. The structure of the training week had theoretical and practical activities—the theoretical aspect comprised lectures about timber construction. This theory learnt was applied practically when the students visited Earthworld Architect's Timber Factory, Fourth Revolution, in Silverton. Students were introduced to safety procedures, using CNC machines, assembling and building timber products, and daily activities in the factory. The students were given an assignment where they were tasked to design a new timber roof truss for the existing office verandah. The architects and production staff mentored the students throughout the entire process, from the conceptual phase of the truss design to the computation of the design and, finally, cutting, assembling and finishing their roof trusses.

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On the training program's final week, representatives from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, York Timber and the University of Pretoria EBIT Faculty joined students. The stakeholders presented talks, each reassuring the students of their support for using timber as a construction material. The students shared their optimism with the stakeholders and commended the organisers and the hosts for the enriching experience. They also highlighted the need for the program to include other EBIT Faculty departments to make it more collaborative. In all, the students enjoyed the experience.