QTRA registered?

[monkeypuzzle22]

Hi all,

 

I am looking to go self-employed as a subcontractor in the near future and would like to offer consultancy on my portfolio! As such i would like some affiliation to a recognised scheme etc (AA, ISA etc). I have looked into several companies, of varying sizes, and have seen that a number of them list being QTRA Licensed almost as a USP (Unique selling point).

 

There is bound to be someone on here who pays annual memebership/Licence fee to QTRA, my questions are as follows:

 

Do you feel being QTRA registered benefits your company, if so how?

 

Would you reccomend the product/service to anyone else? (this is usually a strong indicator of its value)

 

Any other advice welcome...?

 

Thanks guys.

[sean freeman]

Not sure about it being a unique selling point...its an assessment tool, or rather assessment system...we find it useful and helpful for our clients, it greatest strength is its auditable by anyone who may wish to try and understand how the conclusion/s of the assessment were reached. It shares exactly the same weaknesses as any other assessment system (the assessor:sneaky2:).

 

Where abouts in the shire are you? I went to highschool in Derby, lived in the north and then in the south...my folks live in Ticknall now, right next door to Calke Park:cool1:

[monkeypuzzle22]

My family currently lives in Ashbourne and i lived in Derby for 12 years. Went to study at Merrist Wood for 2 years then came back (ish) this way. Thanks for the comments, very useful information. So would you reccomend taking the training and getting it on my Portfolio??

[sean freeman]

Ashbourne is pretty I know it quite well used to walk the dales regularly as a young lad.

 

I do think the training was good, I have no idea what it costs now I know things are generally economically tougher with you in the UK than here right now so of course careful consideration needed before you fork out any of your hard earned.

 

I know some excellent Arbs working in the UK who don't use QTRA, and I know some less than great ones over here that do...so honestly I think that how beneficial it will be to you is really down to you and how well balanced your tree assessments are generally.

 

I suppose if your Local Authroity has adopted QTRA as the preferred system for tree risk assessment then it would be an advantage to be able to provide the reporting applying the method.

 

I personally found that when I encountered QTRA first in 2005/2006 it distilled a lot of how I was feeling about tree works and percieved risk from trees.

[Bundle 2]

This may well sound a bit negative but I fear you will nonetheless, find it to be the case within the UK arb industry. As you will probably be aware, there are a number of systems used, not just in the uk as Sean is testament to; but that should you train, so as to be able to apply any one system, you will inevitably find opportunities that are still not apparently available to you as employers prefer one system to another. This may be industry sector led (eg..rail) or it may be a decision that rests with managers and just to compound things, may well subject to change due to staff migration from one post to another. Otherwise known as "sod's law" mate!

[arb culture]

I think QTRA is not good, and I know several people who have done the training who found it very disappointing. Apparently the guy who does the training admits that he doesn't even understand the maths behind the system he is teaching - very worrying.

 

Consider how much the training costs, and what other training you could do instead. If you haven't done it already, the LANTRA Professional Tree inspection course is usually taken as evidence of competence. The QTRA training is NOT evidence that you can inspect a tree (and from the reports I've seen, it's not even evidence that you understand QTRA).

 

As to whether or not it's worth doing, ask your potential clients. At the end of the day, if one of my clients wanted me to do QTRA surveys, I'd get the training and do it. But my report would include some heavy conditions in it stating that I don't recommend the system.

[Giles Hill]

As to whether or not it's worth doing, ask your potential clients.

 

Good advice.

 

I would suggest you start trying to pick up work in the subject areas that you are experienced in or are that you find interesting. If this happens to be Risk Assessment then QTRA might suit you.

 

Personally I've not found the need to sign up to these kind of risk assessment systems, because most of my arb work is to do with BS 5837.

 

I have had just one occasion where I needed A QTRA report. I was too busy to train and I'm not particularly interested in the subject, so I recommended another company.

[monkeypuzzle22]

I think QTRA is not good, and I know several people who have done the training who found it very disappointing. Apparently the guy who does the training admits that he doesn't even understand the maths behind the system he is teaching - very worrying.

 

Consider how much the training costs, and what other training you could do instead. If you haven't done it already, the LANTRA Professional Tree inspection course is usually taken as evidence of competence. The QTRA training is NOT evidence that you can inspect a tree (and from the reports I've seen, it's not even evidence that you understand QTRA).

 

As to whether or not it's worth doing, ask your potential clients. At the end of the day, if one of my clients wanted me to do QTRA surveys, I'd get the training and do it. But my report would include some heavy conditions in it stating that I don't recommend the system.

 

 

Really good advice. thanks guys. I do feel that the LANTRA PTI Course would be the best one to attend. I have just seen a few companies recently pop up who gained the QTRA and sort of sing its praises. I haven't had the oppurtunity to use properly, i have only seen its workings and had a go with it at college. Hence i thought i would ask on here to gather some feedback.

 

Anyway, thanks once again...

[Giles Hill]

I'd like to do the Lantra PTI myself when I get the chance, I don't think it would help me get any more work, but I'd like to do it to test myself...

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

IF I was looking (will do eventualy) to increase my assesment credentials, then PTI and T.H.R.E.A.T.S by JFL would be the way i would go, PTI is my next goal, then some training on threats with JFL, you need nothing more besides a good grasp of VTA.

 

And value for money is going to be a proirity for you with a developing business, QTRA is overly complicated, unrepeatable and not endorsed, unlike the PTI.

 

Ive worked on sites to QTRA assesments, and they did not meet with my own instincts in all cases, many things had been overlooked and the numbers issue, well thats just bonkers!

 

Im with giles and culture on this one.