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[Arborist Sites]

Skyhuck, you've lost me a bit (not hard I'm afraid).

 

The scenario you describe above relates to membership of the AA rather than AAAC status, which is what(?) I thought you were asking about...sorry I've misunderstood. I'll try again.

 

Anyone can join the AA regardless of qualifications or none. Qualifications will help with certain membership grades, dare I say at the higher level, but this is entirely consistent with other professional bodies, i.e. IOSH.

 

As far as AAAC status is concerned, you can have as many degrees (& NPTCs) as you like but if you can't "cut the mustard", so to speak, you won't make the grade. Is this your concern?

 

PLEASE REPLY!

 

Regards..

Paul

 

Your totally wrong im afraid, i could rattle off a number of people i know that have higher grade AA membership that to be perfectly honest are useless..... (not all though)

 

As far as i see it and looking at your application system if you have the letters after your name and send a cheque you are in.

 

I have ten years experience in arb, i have land survey and engineering knowledge, a good understanding of civil & structural engineering and studied architecture at uni.

 

I have a 100% success rate in Planning related tree consultancy.

 

Can you find me someone with a degree in arb gained in the last 3 years that could match this ? I not sure you can but you promote them as a proffesional and i am not in your eyes.

 

I have been considering doing the dip.arb for the last couple of years to rectify this and prove my tree knowledge at a higher level but to be honest i cannot justify this in order to get more letters after my name and to enable AA membership.

 

 

....................................

 

In Skyhucks case, do a search and check out the videos and pics demonstrating the quality of his work, you wont recognise him, however you will recognise some of these companies/individuals throughout the uk that lets be honest there work is pants.

 

A qualification means nothing, experience is everything in this industry !

[Arborist Sites]

 

Anyone can join the AA regardless of qualifications or none. Qualifications will help with certain membership grades, dare I say at the higher level, but this is entirely consistent with other professional bodies, i.e. IOSH.

 

Paul

 

Why pay for a membership that offers you very little if not nothing....

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Your totally wrong im afraid, i could rattle off a number of people i know that have higher grade AA membership that to be perfectly honest are useless..... (not all though)

 

As far as i see it and looking at your application system if you have the letters after your name and send a cheque you are in.

 

I have ten years experience in arb, i have land survey and engineering knowledge, a good understanding of civil & structural engineering and studied architecture at uni.

 

I have a 100% success rate in Planning related tree consultancy.

 

Can you find me someone with a degree in arb gained in the last 3 years that could match this ? I not sure you can but you promote them as a proffesional and i am not in your eyes.

 

I have been considering doing the dip.arb for the last couple of years to rectify this and prove my tree knowledge at a higher level but to be honest i cannot justify this in order to get more letters after my name and to enable AA membership.

 

 

....................................

 

In Skyhucks case, do a search and check out the videos and pics demonstrating the quality of his work, you wont recognise him, however you will recognise some of these companies/individuals throughout the uk that lets be honest there work is pants.

 

A qualification means nothing, experience is everything in this industry !

 

Thanks for replying.

 

As I see it one of the real strengths of our industry is that you can progress from 'the tools' to 'the reports' without any real barriers AND that previous experience to which you refer is invaluable and NO qualification can substitute for it.

 

Most, if not all, arb consultants I know have spent some time on the tools and many still grab any opportuntiy so to do if it comes their way, hence there is a very strong link between practising and advising, which is a real strength (not sure where that ones going, just thinking out loud!)

 

At the end of the day, reagrdless of memebrships/qualifictions/accreditations etc. etc. (whilst useful to 'open doors' perhaps) the client will decide if you're professional and 'worth your salt' and then they'll come back to you, and again, and again, and then you're business will be successful (this seems to reflect your business model which is great.)

 

Should it be of interest, there is an alternative route (via assessment where you submit a portfolio of your work and other information etc.) available to Professional Member status and the information is on the website, just keep scrolling down the info pack.

 

Again the fact that we promote Association members at that grade as 'Professional' does absolute NOT mean if you're not a member your not professional...as we've said the client will ultimately decide.

 

Regards..

Paul

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Why pay for a membership that offers you very little if not nothing....

 

Exactly, it's entirely your choice.

 

If you don't feel AA membership will bring you any benefits, either directly, i.e new business/supplier discounts etc., or indirectly, i.e. helping keep your knowledge & CPD up-to-speed, then why part with your 'hard earned' money.

 

Obviously we hope you will as we believe membership does bring benefits, plus it adds to a 'bigger' industry voice, but the choice is yours.

 

Thanks for the post.

 

Regards..

Paul

[Amelanchier]

Your totally wrong im afraid, i could rattle off a number of people i know that have higher grade AA membership that to be perfectly honest are useless..... (not all though)

 

As far as i see it and looking at your application system if you have the letters after your name and send a cheque you are in.!

 

I guess thats because somewhere along the line, you have to trust that an awarding body has assessed someone appropriately. Is the apocryphal decline in education the fault of the AA?

 

I have ten years experience in arb, i have land survey and engineering knowledge, a good understanding of civil & structural engineering and studied architecture at uni.

 

I have a 100% success rate in Planning related tree consultancy.

 

Can you find me someone with a degree in arb gained in the last 3 years that could match this ? I not sure you can but you promote them as a proffesional and i am not in your eyes.

 

This doesn't really follow - the problems are twofold. I highly doubt the AA considers you to be unprofessional because you aren't a member, you've inferred this by inverting their aims. If I like beer, it doesn't mean that you don't. Secondly, do you expect the AA to promote your obvious professionalism for free?

 

A qualification means nothing, experience is everything in this industry !

 

On the contrary, a qualification is the same as any achievement. It has the value that others give it, just like a service or product. You might not personally ascribe value to qualifications but they are indeed valued by a large proportion of others - particularly outside our little arb bubble. There is a reason why graduates statistically earn more than non graduates.

 

I would suggest education is the key, whether you achieve that through qualification or experience matters less. On balance I would say a 30:70 mix is probably ideal.

 

IIRC the AA offers an equivalent route into membership by interview to evaluate experience (I know, I know you shouldn't have to prove yourself to a bunch of pencil pushers... )

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

I guess thats because somewhere along the line, you have to trust that an awarding body has assessed someone appropriately. Is the apocryphal decline in education the fault of the AA?

 

 

 

This doesn't really follow - the problems are twofold. I highly doubt the AA considers you to be unprofessional because you aren't a member, you've inferred this by inverting their aims. If I like beer, it doesn't mean that you don't. Secondly, do you expect the AA to promote your obvious professionalism for free?

 

 

 

On the contrary, a qualification is the same as any achievement. It has the value that others give it, just like a service or product. You might not personally ascribe value to qualifications but they are indeed valued by a large proportion of others - particularly outside our little arb bubble. There is a reason why graduates statistically earn more than non graduates.

 

I would suggest education is the key, whether you achieve that through qualification or experience matters less. On balance I would say a 30:70 mix is probably ideal.

 

IIRC the AA offers an equivalent route into membership by interview to evaluate experience (I know, I know you shouldn't have to prove yourself to a bunch of pencil pushers... )

 

Tony, thank you for your valuable contribution here.

 

Just a couple of things, if I may, I've figured out that 'apocryphal' means disastrous (kinda), but the abbreviation 'IIRC' is completely lost on me I'm afraid...enlightenment please?...thank you!

Regards..

Paul

[Amelanchier]

If I Remember Correctly.

 

A handy way of stating something whilst reserving the right to be completely wrong - I use it a lot.

[Andy Collins]

I think there seems to be 2 seperate camps on forum, those who seem against the AA and the way it portrays itself, and those who openly support it. I personally think the AA needs to listen to all sides, and by addressing certain issues may even be able to welcome aboard a higher membership. Many of us here care about the job we all do, to the point that we spend our free time laughing, joking and discussing it into the wee small hours. if the AA could harness this grass-roots enthusiasm, I'm sure it would have more success. I dont see why it cant adopt a multi-tiered system of approval, without watering down the AAAC status, so the smaller company could start off at an entry level, then as it grows could escalate to the heady heights of full approval. In this tight economy, we all have to look at our budgets, the AA included, and surely to gain more Approved contractors would boost the coffers, as well as its standing in the Arb community that it supports. Adapt and survive.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

If I Remember Correctly.

 

A handy way of stating something whilst reserving the right to be completely wrong - I use it a lot.

 

Excellent, thanks Tony, I'll probably be joining you in it's frequent use!

Regards..

Paul

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

I think there seems to be 2 seperate camps on forum, those who seem against the AA and the way it portrays itself, and those who openly support it. I personally think the AA needs to listen to all sides, and by addressing certain issues may even be able to welcome aboard a higher membership. Many of us here care about the job we all do, to the point that we spend our free time laughing, joking and discussing it into the wee small hours. if the AA could harness this grass-roots enthusiasm, I'm sure it would have more success. I dont see why it cant adopt a multi-tiered system of approval, without watering down the AAAC status, so the smaller company could start off at an entry level, then as it grows could escalate to the heady heights of full approval. In this tight economy, we all have to look at our budgets, the AA included, and surely to gain more Approved contractors would boost the coffers, as well as its standing in the Arb community that it supports. Adapt and survive.

 

 

Andy, thank you for your posting and whilst I'm saddened if there are 'two' camps (perhaps I just need to get real tho...as I rapidly am!) the frustrating thing is we share a common goal!

I wholly agree we do indeed need to harness that 'grass(tree?)roots' enthusiasm to the benefit of all AND the industry.

As part of the AAC review we did consider having a multi-tiered approach but my concern was this could be confusing for the client (maybe I'm paying them a dis-service) and better if we had one standard/level and made access easier, i.e. the 'modular approach. However if there is significnat support for this approach, i.e. an interim award as kind of a 'half-way' house, then I'm more than happy to listen and present this to the AAs Professional Committee (it is something we've already had tentative discussions around.)

 

Can I just clarify that your reference to 'boosting the coffers' would be re-invested and allow us to better promote the Association, its members and the industry as currently resources are very limited in this regard.

 

The consultation document proposed 'change', as we apprecaite we need to adapt to survive, and we are open minded as to how best to achieve this.

 

Any further thoughts you, and/or others, have would be welcomed.

 

Regards..

Paul