Just a bit of feedback on the Tree Surgery 'Combination Course B' now that I've finished it.
Excellent course with very good instructors (20 yrs+ experience each and all the stories to go with it). Richard Olley is the business owner and is a top bloke - I don't blow smoke up people's arses as a rule but Richard and all of the instructors and assessors are the finest you will meet and really know their stuff.
As mentioned above, the first two units (maintenance and use of chainsaw and crosscutting/felling) are in the first week, with a revision session on Friday afternoon and the assessments on the Monday. The stuff you have to learn is not difficult but does require a bit of study in the evenings. Demonstrations of some kit and the chainsaw maintenance take place in the workshop on the ground floor of the barn. You will then do practical work mainly in the woods in the local area.
The second week introduces the project work (this is an NVQ Level 3 business studies project which is in the course so you can get ELCAS funding) and you do the woodchipper operating certificate too. The project is all about the issues involved with setting up and running an arborist business. I thought it was interesting and you get out of it as much as you put into it (does that make sense?). If you do a good job, it forms the majority of an actual business plan, so is well-worth some effort, in my opinion.
You get about 4-5 project days throughout the course which you can use to do project work or work experience. If work experience is available, you can go out with one of the businesses in the local area and do a bit of cutting/chipping. Or you can go to Tunbridge Wells and drink coffee...
The third and fourth weeks include the stumpgrinder competency qualification (harder than it looks), project days and the climbing units.
The climbing units are hard work and a degree of physical fitness would be advisable. A good pair of gloves are essential (fingerless cycling gloves or the like, but you may find you go through two pairs!). The basic training work takes place out the back of the barn but any cutting work takes place in the Deer Park at the moment. There are a few different types of climbing harness in Richard's kit room and it's a lottery as to which one you get. I found the one I had was extremely uncomfortable and limited my mobility; it all depends on your body type and size and is a very personal thing. Me and another lad actually ended up buying our own Petzl Sequoia harnesses, which were excellent; in fact, I would say that this harness got me through my climbing assessments. A van from FR Jones & Son pitches up every Friday afternoon if you want to buy kit at very competitive prices, including climbing kit, PPE and saws.
The climbing and rescue unit also includes pole climbing (good fun) and aerial rescue. You get a number of opportunities to practice the rescues and climbing in general.
This all leads to the last unit: use of a chainsaw in a rope and harness. This is difficult: not only do you have to climb, you also have to get good work positioning so you can use the saw safely. This is a step beyond the previous climbing stuff (climbing for climbing's sake, really). You will also have to learn and demonstrate about five different types of cut.
If Richard (owner) is happy that you have a good chance of passing the climbing assessments, you do them on the last Saturday of the course. Oddly enough, I struggled with the aerial and rescue assessment and flew through the aerial chainsaw/cutting assessment - completely the opposite to what I thought would happen! Anyway, I passed both - which was a real relief.
The project has to be handed in for marking on the Tuesday of the last week.
The PPE you get is all functional and safe but can look a bit tired (it all gets used regularly). Boots, trousers, gloves and helmet for weeks one and two, and a climbing bag with rope, harness, prussiks, etc, for the weeks three and four.
The saws you use will be mainly Stihls but there's a chance to have a go with the Huskies so you can make a comparison - the saws are pretty much industry standard models. When climbing, a couple of lightweight Stihl MS200s are available and these are excellent - the industry standard for climbing work.
The accommodation is basic, with bunks and single beds, and a large kitchen/living area with TV. There is a PC with internet access and an ethernet cable to plug a laptop into if you want. There are secure lockers (take a padlock), bedside lockers, and fridges and washing machines. There are two showers, a bath, and three toilets. Mobile phone signals are very poor in the area and the barn is in a very rural location. Indeed, it's quite hard to find as the sign isn't highly visible (there's a reason for that - Richard will fill you in!)
The acommodation was comfortable but sharing a single cooker and sink between a number of people can be a bit challenging, especially when some of the younger lads appear to have never been taught to clean up after themselves. I also came to realise how important Facebook is to anyone under the age of 25 - bizarre.
DT_Xtremez_42:
By and by, it's trouble free living, with supermarkets about 5 miles away in Tonbridge, a good pub (The Chasers) 5 minutes walk away. I travelled back home the second and third weekends but be aware that you will only get a single warrant for this course as a whole.
Most of the lads on the course were army (one other RAF guy for the first two weeks) but they were generally a good bunch (apart from one complete arse but, statistically, that's not bad going I suppose). The courses start every two weeks and so you will overlap with two other groups of four people. I did my course in Oct-Nov and we had mostly good weather although, typically, it poured down during the climbing assessments.
The bottom line is that this is not an attendance course and you will have to switch on if you want to pass all of the assessments and competency units. There is work to be done in the evenings, especially if you are not particularly academic, but this work is all 'do-able' with a bit of effort. Once you have the qualifications (which are the basic ones you need to work in the industry) you should be aware that you then need to go out and get some experience - it's like learning to drive. At the moment, the recession is hitting the industry as a whole, especially those who do mostly domestic and utility work; however, this is still a hugely useful, fun and exciting way to blow your resettlement money and time.
DT_Xtremez_28:
Any questions on the course, please feel free to drop me a line.
