Problems and issues this industry faces and how to deal with them.

[KateH]

20 hours ago, AHPP said:

 

I have a voice and seek what I want for me. You don't have to go very far beyond that to run into commie talk and before long we'll all be standing in the arb lines for a week to get a new 5/32" file.

Maybe. I'm just trying to understand the industry and struggling to see whether there are different groups with voices and agendas (it feels that way) or if it could be spoken for as a whole. Kate

[KateH]

2 hours ago, 5thelement said:

I have never experienced any shortage of climbers/groundies in the UK, quite the reverse, the UK is saturated with them. Colleges and training providers are spewing them out constantly, most of them thinking they are the finished article after a couple of months. Lots of them are up to their necks in debt after arranging cheap finance deals to buy shiney new kit that most people have spent years building up to owning, they then devalue the job by going in low simply to find the monthly finance repayments.

Every decent climber with a good work ethic that I have worked with wants to go out on their own long term, which makes them virtually impossible to hold onto in an employed role. The rest are crap to mediocre (despite how they see themselves) and their payment in an employed role reflects their skill level and attitude.

I have never heard of anyone using a recruitment agency to find Arb staff either. Most people I have worked with are head hunted through having a good reputation in the industry and through word of mouth.

That's really interesting. We place arborists in lots of roles but your comment makes sense too. Thanks, Kate

[AHPP]

35 minutes ago, KateH said:

Maybe. I'm just trying to understand the industry and struggling to see whether there are different groups with voices and agendas (it feels that way) or if it could be spoken for as a whole. Kate

It can’t be spoken for as a whole because I won’t be spoken for by Gristwoods and I doubt Gristwoods want to be spoken for by me. 

[AHPP]

6 hours ago, Retired Climber said:

Just a thought, but if some of you spent less time playing to the gallery, we might have a more useful conversation. 

Is posting some rubbish just to get a few of the regulars to 'like' your post really the best use of your time? 

Quite the opposite. I’m trying to establish for the benefit of all who read here whether to place stock in your opinions. Same as everyone does for everyone. I’m sure you don’t take it personally (but please don’t if you were beginning to). I like reading your posts as it happens. 

[pie eater pete]

On 21/08/2022 at 15:37, Retired Climber said:

 

It's one of the reasons that employed arb salaries are so low. This has a detrimental effect on the industry, who wants to work within it, and who wants to try to make a career out of it. 

 

We can call ourselves skilled professionals all we like, but it's the market's perception that largely dictates rates of pay. If an industry has the ' thick kid's job' image, it's hard to drag the pay out of the gutter. 

 

 

 

 

Nail on the head.

[NwalesDero]

Hi, I find this topic of interest as a new entrant. I have just left my old job after 15 years to find a way into tree work or forestry. One thing I have found is although the talk is they struggle to find good people, most are also unwilling to support people who are new to the industry. I offered my service for free to a lot to gain experience but no one took me up on the offer. I have now started to pay for all my own training and have taken a job with a local grass cutting firm at the bottom of the ladder on minimum wage. I have approached tilhill and euroforest for any help but they don't offer any advice and what the best path is into the industry. Any one with a road map of what course I should be doing in what order would be great. 

[Mick Dempsey]

3 hours ago, NwalesDero said:

Hi, I find this topic of interest as a new entrant. I have just left my old job after 15 years to find a way into tree work or forestry. One thing I have found is although the talk is they struggle to find good people, most are also unwilling to support people who are new to the industry. I offered my service for free to a lot to gain experience but no one took me up on the offer. I have now started to pay for all my own training and have taken a job with a local grass cutting firm at the bottom of the ladder on minimum wage. I have approached tilhill and euroforest for any help but they don't offer any advice and what the best path is into the industry. Any one with a road map of what course I should be doing in what order would be great. 

What aspect of the work interests you the most? ie. What is it you want to do, climber, forestry, Tree officer etc?

 

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

3 hours ago, NwalesDero said:

Hi, I find this topic of interest as a new entrant. I have just left my old job after 15 years to find a way into tree work or forestry. One thing I have found is although the talk is they struggle to find good people, most are also unwilling to support people who are new to the industry. I offered my service for free to a lot to gain experience but no one took me up on the offer. I have now started to pay for all my own training and have taken a job with a local grass cutting firm at the bottom of the ladder on minimum wage. I have approached tilhill and euroforest for any help but they don't offer any advice and what the best path is into the industry. Any one with a road map of what course I should be doing in what order would be great. 

Hi, this may be of help / interest...good luck.

https://www.trees.org.uk/Careers

 

[Dan Maynard]

On 21/08/2022 at 15:15, Mike Hill said:

The real problem is that most UK tree work is pretty easy and is not very kit intensive. Therefore alot of people can enter the indusry as sole traders who eat the icing off the cake.

My latest enquiry is to remove a conifer which the customer says is 8-9 feet tall, and customers always overestimate tree height.

 

Didn't realise I was eating the icing off the cake, thought I was doing all the small crappy jobs.

[petercb]

11 hours ago, NwalesDero said:

Hi, I find this topic of interest as a new entrant. I have just left my old job after 15 years to find a way into tree work or forestry. One thing I have found is although the talk is they struggle to find good people, most are also unwilling to support people who are new to the industry. I offered my service for free to a lot to gain experience but no one took me up on the offer. I have now started to pay for all my own training and have taken a job with a local grass cutting firm at the bottom of the ladder on minimum wage. I have approached tilhill and euroforest for any help but they don't offer any advice and what the best path is into the industry. Any one with a road map of what course I should be doing in what order would be great. 

Don't know here you're located but this was posted today