tree forks Scotland - Arb' Association talks..or lack there of..

[Kirsty]

I Would be interested in more Arb talks, demos, comps and the likes in Scotland for sure! As would my other half. The closest thing I've seen was at Kirkley Hall in the north east of England. Handy if you live in that area or south of Scotland, but still a trek for many others! And I think there was only one event there this year. Everything else does seem to be, as already said, south of what I would call central England. I would put money on the fact there's enough people interested in Scotland if the events are booked, advertised and promoted. "If you book it they will come" ?!

 

[Graham Jackson]

I would be interested in attending any talks or workshops in the Inverness area

[Steve AA Marketing Officer]

Hi Folks,

Sorry I’m a bit late to the party on this one. I’m Steve, AA Marketing Officer and am always keen to hear from all our Members and professionals in the industry – you’re the reason we’re here!

 

In fact if anyone has an issue or something they think the AA should be doing – please do pick up the phone (01242 522152) and talk to us, the CEO is always here and happy to talk to you as are the whole team.

 

Before I continue I’d just like to say that having been with the organisation for 2 ½ years I’m aware that there were a lot of problems with the AA on many fronts particularly an insular mentality and lack of effort to listen to its members; giving them what the AA thought they needed instead of what they wanted.

 

However since 2014 this started to turn around and more quickly during the past 2 years.

 

Unfortunately the AA has not been in a strong financial position recently and is not sitting on piles of cash as some perceive; a quick look at the annual reports will tell you that. If we were, we’d be able to put on courses and take the hit if they didn’t get the numbers needed, as has been suggested.

 

Not sure what’s happened in the past we certainly don’t value one area of the UK over another.

The issue I think is a communication problem from HQ, and I certainly believe that in the past not enough marketing effort was put behind courses in the North and Scotland.

 

We haven’t given our branches the support to enable them to have successful events. This has been a key focus of mine as I believe the Branch network has so much potential but hasn’t been given enough attention. This is changing and we’ve already seen results.

 

A few comments have implied we put little effort into doing courses up north and in Scotland or not run any, these are numbers from the past few years:

 

Training Events held in the North:

(Not including ArbAC Prep Workshops in these as that doesn’t really count)

2016: 9 Courses (4 had to be cancelled)

2017: 6 Courses

2018: 5 Courses Scheduled

 

Training Events held in Scotland:

2016: 5 Courses

2017: 5 Courses

 

Scotland Branch is doing really well across the board and has got a lot of numbers, so as was the case in this year there will be courses added to the Calendar. The Branches now have stronger marketing support from HQ – so where Cornwall had struggled to get bums on seats this year they’ve had some great numbers including 80 on their Autumn Seminar day!

 

In short, if there is a course you want to see and there is enough interest, then we’ll do our best to facilitate an event locally.

 

Anyway my solution is to see what type of courses you guys want – so I’ve set up 2 Survey Monkeys below so you can let us know. I’m also looking at getting some of our courses digitised which should enable members to Access online Training/cpd and could be a great resource (for example we have 150 members in Hong Kong – and hold nothing for them).

 

North Training Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SDMDD93

Scotland Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SJZ68TW

 

I’ll also include a map which shows the distribution of our members across branches in Mainland UK, thought it may be of interest.

 

There is so much potential to put this profession in the spotlight and I’m passionate about raising our members profile, within the industry, related sectors and publicly. We exist because of you guys, we’re here to support you and this feedback is really valuable.

 

Thanks and look forward to your feedback, if you have any comments, ideas or issues marketing wise i'm all ears, please contact me [email protected]

Edited December 1, 2017 by Steve AA Marketing Officer

[ArbMish]

On 01/12/2017 at 12:57, Steve AA Marketing Officer said:

 

A few comments have implied we put little effort into doing courses up north and in Scotland or not run any, these are numbers from the past few years:

 

Training Events held in the North:

(Not including ArbAC Prep Workshops in these as that doesn’t really count)

2016: 9 Courses (4 had to be cancelled)

2017: 6 Courses

2018: 5 Courses Scheduled

 

Training Events held in Scotland:

2016: 5 Courses

2017: 5 Courses

 

Scotland Branch is doing really well across the board and has got a lot of numbers, so as was the case in this year there will be courses added to the Calendar. The Branches now have stronger marketing support from HQ – so where Cornwall had struggled to get bums on seats this year they’ve had some great numbers including 80 on their Autumn Seminar day!

 

In short, if there is a course you want to see and there is enough interest, then we’ll do our best to facilitate an event locally.

Hi Steve,

 

Thank you for this. I would be interested to know where the courses in Scotland were held? If you saw the original post one of my main points was the lack of courses held North of the Scottish central belt. Perhaps some were held closer to home and we're just not hearing about them. I would appreciate more advertising of Scottish courses, I read almost every AA email so even an email would work.

 

I do understand that there is little membership in the North of Scotland but it is a bit of a chicken in egg, you won't get the members if you don't run anything close to the North. I would also like to add that the only place to offer an Arboriculture degree in Scotland is in Inverness. I'm in my second year of study at the Forestry College and I don't recall seeing the AA have any direct interaction with the College. We recently had a visit from Gristwood and Toms which was really valuable. If you want to raise your membership in Scotland I would suggest starting here. If people are studying arb' then they are already on the right path to becoming professionals so surely students would be the perfect target audience. Likewise if you collaborate with the college (as I was intending to) then you have a space with the right infrastructure to run events/workshops/talks etc. It may even be free!

 

I'll send you an email about this as well but I thought I'd leave a public comment to allow others to comment.

 

I appreciate your efforts and I'll fill out the survey of course.

 

 

 

 

 

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Dear 'ArbMish', "thank you" for your constructive, and positive, post here which is most appreciated.

 

Obviously Stephen will read your response also but I will undertake to visit Perth / Inverness in 2018, perhaps to deliver a combined ARB Approved Contractor / BS3998 seminar (including a CODIT update), and I'm sure Stephen will consider more.

 

You are quite right in your assumption about "where" in Scotland we deliver stuff and, to date, I have used the Royal Highland Showground (next door to Edinburgh Airport) as a seeming compromise...looks like I'll just have to hire a car and drive to the snow line 

 

Thanks again and best regards,

Paul

 

 

  

[daltontrees]

Good to see AA replying here.

 

I am still unclear on why the AA HQ doesn't organise courses up here when the branch subsequently manages to do it viably. Do we get courses that the rest of the UK doesn't, or do we do the legwork to get AA courses elsewhere added on to the road trip?

 

Anyway, if I was up in Inverness I'd be mre fed up about all this than I am, as I can just about make it down south now and again. But for me it's not about courses, it's about inclusion and coverage, to develop a pan-UK voice. Trees are the same up here as they are down there, and attitudes to them are too. The AA tries to be a lot of things at once and cannot always succeed, but it says it is the voice of arboriculture yet it is not embedded in the public conscience and in the corridors of power anywhere near enough to back up that claim.  Yet. I accept it IS trying. And must, if it is to raise the profile of tres and carry its members along with it, bringing more into the fold and getting to some sort of critical mass. 

 

In Centra Scotland, most of the consultants are ICF. Personally having seen the entry requirements, I'm too busy to take the qualifications. And perfectly competent at PTI?AA Tech/BSc/QTRA etc. It is hard to see how the AA can compete with ICF for out-and-out consultants, except through the rather contrived environmental consultant designation, but for people in my position who have moved on from climbing to professional work, the field is ready for the AA to take a less elite position in supporting the technical grade consultant. CAS almost does it, and if we are to see the AA moving closer towards the ISA (now why does that instinctively worry me?) there is building ready to be done. The AA won't have  a legitimate claim to be the UK voice if it doesn't include Scotland, and N Ireland and Wales in all sorts of ways. I don't feel so strongly about Hong Kong, a trip there would be tricky, although I could be there in the same time as it took me to get to Conference in Exeter a few years ago.

 

I am in the AA for the magazine, the journal and to assert the code of conduct, and the very very occasional benefit of member discounts and events. If I had been in it for the representation I wouldn't have joined in the first place.

 

More courses, yes, but in the interests of more inclusion, coherent coverage of the UK, which in most other respects seems to be falling apart at the seams. And if the AA ever wants its publications, policies and website UK-ified, it just has to ask.

[jfc]

Hi Folks,
Sorry I’m a bit late to the party on this one. I’m Steve, AA Marketing Officer and am always keen to hear from all our Members and professionals in the industry – you’re the reason we’re here!
 
In fact if anyone has an issue or something they think the AA should be doing – please do pick up the phone (01242 522152) and talk to us, the CEO is always here and happy to talk to you as are the whole team.
 
Before I continue I’d just like to say that having been with the organisation for 2 ½ years I’m aware that there were a lot of problems with the AA on many fronts particularly an insular mentality and lack of effort to listen to its members; giving them what the AA thought they needed instead of what they wanted.
 
However since 2014 this started to turn around and more quickly during the past 2 years.
 
Unfortunately the AA has not been in a strong financial position recently and is not sitting on piles of cash as some perceive; a quick look at the annual reports will tell you that. If we were, we’d be able to put on courses and take the hit if they didn’t get the numbers needed, as has been suggested.
 
Not sure what’s happened in the past we certainly don’t value one area of the UK over another.
The issue I think is a communication problem from HQ, and I certainly believe that in the past not enough marketing effort was put behind courses in the North and Scotland.
 
We haven’t given our branches the support to enable them to have successful events. This has been a key focus of mine as I believe the Branch network has so much potential but hasn’t been given enough attention. This is changing and we’ve already seen results.
 
A few comments have implied we put little effort into doing courses up north and in Scotland or not run any, these are numbers from the past few years:
 
Training Events held in the North:
(Not including ArbAC Prep Workshops in these as that doesn’t really count)
2016: 9 Courses (4 had to be cancelled)
2017: 6 Courses
2018: 5 Courses Scheduled
 
Training Events held in Scotland:
2016: 5 Courses
2017: 5 Courses
 
Scotland Branch is doing really well across the board and has got a lot of numbers, so as was the case in this year there will be courses added to the Calendar. The Branches now have stronger marketing support from HQ – so where Cornwall had struggled to get bums on seats this year they’ve had some great numbers including 80 on their Autumn Seminar day!
 
In short, if there is a course you want to see and there is enough interest, then we’ll do our best to facilitate an event locally.
 
Anyway my solution is to see what type of courses you guys want – so I’ve set up 2 Survey Monkeys below so you can let us know. I’m also looking at getting some of our courses digitised which should enable members to Access online Training/cpd and could be a great resource (for example we have 150 members in Hong Kong – and hold nothing for them).
 
North Training Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SDMDD93
Scotland Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SJZ68TW
 
I’ll also include a map which shows the distribution of our members across branches in Mainland UK, thought it may be of interest.
 
There is so much potential to put this profession in the spotlight and I’m passionate about raising our members profile, within the industry, related sectors and publicly. We exist because of you guys, we’re here to support you and this feedback is really valuable.
 
Thanks and look forward to your feedback, if you have any comments, ideas or issues marketing wise i'm all ears, please contact me [email protected]

Good to see AA replying here.
 
I am still unclear on why the AA HQ doesn't organise courses up here when the branch subsequently manages to do it viably. Do we get courses that the rest of the UK doesn't, or do we do the legwork to get AA courses elsewhere added on to the road trip?
 
Anyway, if I was up in Inverness I'd be mre fed up about all this than I am, as I can just about make it down south now and again. But for me it's not about courses, it's about inclusion and coverage, to develop a pan-UK voice. Trees are the same up here as they are down there, and attitudes to them are too. The AA tries to be a lot of things at once and cannot always succeed, but it says it is the voice of arboriculture yet it is not embedded in the public conscience and in the corridors of power anywhere near enough to back up that claim.  Yet. I accept it IS trying. And must, if it is to raise the profile of tres and carry its members along with it, bringing more into the fold and getting to some sort of critical mass. 
 
In Centra Scotland, most of the consultants are ICF. Personally having seen the entry requirements, I'm too busy to take the qualifications. And perfectly competent at PTI?AA Tech/BSc/QTRA etc. It is hard to see how the AA can compete with ICF for out-and-out consultants, except through the rather contrived environmental consultant designation, but for people in my position who have moved on from climbing to professional work, the field is ready for the AA to take a less elite position in supporting the technical grade consultant. CAS almost does it, and if we are to see the AA moving closer towards the ISA (now why does that instinctively worry me?) there is building ready to be done. The AA won't have  a legitimate claim to be the UK voice if it doesn't include Scotland, and N Ireland and Wales in all sorts of ways. I don't feel so strongly about Hong Kong, a trip there would be tricky, although I could be there in the same time as it took me to get to Conference in Exeter a few years ago.
 
I am in the AA for the magazine, the journal and to assert the code of conduct, and the very very occasional benefit of member discounts and events. If I had been in it for the representation I wouldn't have joined in the first place.
 
More courses, yes, but in the interests of more inclusion, coherent coverage of the UK, which in most other respects seems to be falling apart at the seams. And if the AA ever wants its publications, policies and website UK-ified, it just has to ask.

Hi steve,

Completed the survey. One point to raise is the distance willing to travel, I had to put anywhere because the distances are not relevant to scotland.

Edinburgh is 60 miles away for me, and that is the closest event I have ever seen. 100 miles to glasgow, which is still relatively close, in scottish terms.

I did go down to wokingham for bti training but that took 3 days. So I wouldn't be keen to do that often. If I were only prepared to travel 40miles from home I would never attend anything!

Cheers,

Jan.

[john p]

What is the long term outlook for the AA, does it rely on more people signing up to its accreditation scheme? As mentioned earlier it’s not in a strong financial position, can it carry on as it is or will it have to water down its standard s to get more firms on board to sustain itself? And if it did go under where would it leave the accredited contractors? Just thinking out loud after a couple of gins!

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

35 minutes ago, john p said:

What is the long term outlook for the AA, does it rely on more people signing up to its accreditation scheme? As mentioned earlier it’s not in a strong financial position, can it carry on as it is or will it have to water down its standard s to get more firms on board to sustain itself? And if it did go under where would it leave the accredited contractors? Just thinking out loud after a couple of gins!

"Let the story be-Gin" eh?

 

Absolutely NO intention to "water down" the standards as that really wouldn't benefit anyone AND existing ArbACs would likely jump ship, understandably, so it'd be a bad thing all round.

 

However, we do need to continue to grow the scheme by both attracting new members and, being completely honest, reducing the relative high attrition rate of the last couple of years (albeit for very varied reasons including no-one (domestically) asking for ARB Approved...very frustrating but, TBH, not surprising (NOT to say we don't need to try to do more, of course we do and we will.))

 

Lastly, yeah, 'surplus' is slim, but turnover is good, and growing, and no intentions to go / disappear anywhere..

.at least for the foreseeable.

 

Cheers John,

Paul

 

  

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

So, Pitlochry (if that's suitable) w/c 19th March I'm happy to do a couple of days mid-week, in conjunction with the Scotland Branch, but my range of courses is limited to ArbAC Preparation Workshop (MANDATORY) / AA Risk Assessment for Commercial Arb. / BS3998 (with CODIT update) / Basic Tree Survey & Inspection (not necessarily at the most 'basic' level) / ARB Knowledge.

 

Would this be viable do you think and anybody know a suitable venue in / around Pitlochry?

 

Thanks all,

Paul

 

PS No "GIN" involved...albeit I do like a drop of Plymouth!

 

 

Edited December 3, 2017 by AA Teccie (Paul)
Additional wording,