NPTC refreshing

[Treetom15]

Taken from the NPTC website

Refresher Training

The majority of our Certificates of Competence are issued for life (exceptions are Utility Arboriculture and Safe use of Aluminium Phosphide for Vertebrate Pest Control).

However depending on the qualification you may need to undertake refresher training in accordance with the HSE guidelines

 

Depending on who you’re working for, and what type of work then they may insist on some form of CPD every 3/5 years. 
 

At the end of the day, it’ll be a training course for a day every 3/5 years, if it opens doors workwise it’s hardly a big deal

[slack ma girdle]

1 hour ago, Botty Cough said:

True but lazy cutters that don't keep up with new kit and rules are rare in my experience.

I certainly will not be paying for training and will continue to work.

Like you say it's an advisory not a copulsary requirement. 

Whether you are a felling God or not, we all pick up bad habits, and it Is good to be reminded of said bad habits.

I wouldn't employ someone who didn't want to do the refresher.

One refresher every 5 years costs you pence a day.

[Botty Cough]

I get the point about utility retraining especially when they swop around on and off colour markers to keep people on their toes or have auto reclose upped by a number of times before remaining open .

I just don't see why being charged by private training companies is necessary when it could easily be done in house on a normal working day... At work....

 

 

[GarethM]

7 minutes ago, Botty Cough said:

I get the point about utility retraining especially when they swop around on and off colour markers to keep people on their toes or have auto reclose upped by a number of times before remaining open .

I just don't see why being charged by private training companies is necessary when it could easily be done in house on a normal working day... At work....

Because the argument would be atleast an independent body or company is impartial ish.

 

It'll just be like the old MOTs by mates in the 90s, the vehicle never moved and had grass growing out the tyres, yet miraculously had a MOT certificate.

[Mark Bolam]

4 hours ago, Treetom15 said:

Taken from the NPTC website

Refresher Training

The majority of our Certificates of Competence are issued for life (exceptions are Utility Arboriculture and Safe use of Aluminium Phosphide for Vertebrate Pest Control).

However depending on the qualification you may need to undertake refresher training in accordance with the HSE guidelines

 

Depending on who you’re working for, and what type of work then they may insist on some form of CPD every 3/5 years. 
 

At the end of the day, it’ll be a training course for a day every 3/5 years, if it opens doors workwise it’s hardly a big deal

 

Have you got a link to a one-day course to refresh all my tickets please?

[Spruce Pirate]

Depending on who you're working for you'll need to do it.  Forestry wise there's very few folk who accept you working for them or on their ground without a valid refresher or upskill.  A few smaller contractors working on smaller estates and on the fringes maybe, but all the big players insist on it.  Tree surgery is, I think a very different animal.  As far as it being a recommendation, I think as far as HSE is concerned a "recommendation" is a little more like an instruction and you would have to do some pretty slick talking to explain why you haven't followed their "recommendation".

 

@slack ma girdle I've never met anyone who wanted to do a refresher.  I've never learnt anything on a refresher, nor has anyone I know.  This is only my personal experience.  They are a box ticking exercise, another overhead, albeit when you look at it on a cost per day basis it is pretty minimal.  I wouldn't employ anyone who didn't have one, but that's because almost everyone we work for insists on them.  I don't think refreshers really serve any valid purpose, I don't believe they've had any real impact on reducing accidents which is why we're now getting hit with logbooks and such like.  On the other hand, I wouldn't employ anyone who I considered actually dangerous.  I'd imagine most of us have come across a few characters over the years who would fit into this category, and most of them could easily pass a refresher course with a five year ticket!

 

Overall I think its a waste of time, unless perhaps you've had a ten or fifteen year break from using the saw, in which case it might come in handy.  If you're cutting all, or most of, the time you know what you're doing and it won't do you any good other than being allowed to work for the big firms.

[Treetom15]

1 hour ago, Mark Bolam said:

 

Have you got a link to a one-day course to refresh all my tickets please?

I wish! I was told it could be any course just to show some form of CPD, I guess it depends who you work for though 🤷‍♂️

[Mark Bolam]

That’s the thing Tom, the refresher courses are all 2 days and £500 each.

 

That’s a lot of time and a lot of money.

 

And yes, I know you can upskill and refresh tickets that way, but not forever.

 

It stinks of revenue generation to me.

 

No reason why an independent assessor couldn’t come to a site and ‘refresh’ say 4 already qualified, experienced guys for £150 each.

 

People would buy into that, rather than the current bullshit.

[Treetom15]

That certainly isn’t appealing!
 

Every “refresher” I have done has just been 1 day, it’s usually just a felling refresher or something we’ve already done so you just pay the “assessment” fee…… I’ve always been told that’ll cover it but like I said it’s totally dependant on who your working for.

 

So long as the company or employer can wash their hands of any incidents by saying you’ve adhered to their guidance that’s all they’re bothered with!

[openspaceman]

41 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

No reason why an independent assessor couldn’t come to a site and ‘refresh’ say 4 already qualified, experienced guys

After 1991, when I had paid for my assessments and those of my employees, I never heard of refreshers but my employer paid for two five years apart in my last job. Each refresher was with several other employees or labour only contractors. I was on best behaviour and didn't yoyo start a saw once and used the opportunity to add operating chainsaw from a mewp .