colleges

[treefrog]

Me and a mate used to teach that this is our thoughts. Its very difficult for the College staff to get the results as the average age of student is dropping. When i was at college i was one of the younger ones in my low twentys but now the average age is eighteen. Who hear can say that at eighteen they knew what they wanted, had the disipline to listen to intruction and pushed yourself on practicals and in the classroom. The staff are given a large group of students due to a bums on seats program so the college can earn lots of money. Every year they produce a small number of good students and a number of crap ones but i don t think you ll get it perfect with every one. Do you think the industry could cope if all colleges had great success rates and turned out outstanding students. Unfortunatly it will never happen. The colleges don t tend to offer great wages so why would some one want to teach a load of snotty teenagers. It takes the right sort of person to take on a teaching job. I think college staff should be thanked for the work not slated its hard for them to get the Large numbers of students through everything on their course especially if the student doesn't want to be there.

[Joe]

such a wise head on such young shoulders.

 

[lumberjack2]

Me and a mate used to teach that this is our thoughts. Its very difficult for the College staff to get the results as the average age of student is dropping. When i was at college i was one of the younger ones in my low twentys but now the average age is eighteen. Who hear can say that at eighteen they knew what they wanted, had the disipline to listen to intruction and pushed yourself on practicals and in the classroom. The staff are given a large group of students due to a bums on seats program so the college can earn lots of money. Every year they produce a small number of good students and a number of crap ones but i don t think you ll get it perfect with every one. Do you think the industry could cope if all colleges had great success rates and turned out outstanding students. Unfortunatly it will never happen. The colleges don t tend to offer great wages so why would some one want to teach a load of snotty teenagers. It takes the right sort of person to take on a teaching job. I think college staff should be thanked for the work not slated its hard for them to get the Large numbers of students through everything on their course especially if the student doesn't want to be there.

 

well i started at college doing arb NC when i was 17 and i loved it (well not the assignment work), and then moved onto the longer ND course, but i do agree with your statments about the colleges. i believe the education system for arb could be dramaticly improved, but i still give thanks to my lecturers for doing a wonderful job with all they have to cope with.

Edited March 13, 2009 by lumberjack2

[Tommy_B]

I think that it also doesn't help that a lot of people think that being an arborist is only a case of climbing a tree and chopping a bit off. A lot of people started college when I did and thought that they'd breeze through it. They soon found out that it wasn't going to be like that at all and dropped out when they realised that they would actually have to work.

 

College lecturers and technicians can only turn out what is put in front of them.

[Joe]

well i started at college doing arb NC when i was 17 and i loved it (well not the assignment work), and then moved onto the longer ND course, but i do agree with your statments about the colleges. i believe the education system for arb could be dramaticly improved, but i still give thanks to my lecturers for doing a wonderful job with all they have to cope with.

 

well said mate:001_cool:

[Alasdair]

i done my course last year and finished in june, i had never thought of doing arb work and when i first started my course i was a bit nervous but i loved my course and tried my hardest. im not working at the moment due to the area i live in and now due to the state of the world i think im in for a long wait but im desperate to get started in the world of arb.

[Red.Squirrel]

As an Arb student myself I think it's unfair to say that most will NEVER make good arborists, I'm hardly employable at the moment when it comes to climbing despite having the relevant CS, but it would be unfair to expect the lecturers to make perfect climbers out of us all, there'd be no time for anything else. I've just got my own gear so I can practice and as is the case with nearly all degree's, you only get out what you put in.

 

I'm hoping to get into the industry when I leave but I realise it will be dragging brash, just hopefully I can work my way up to climbing a bit quicker than someone with no experience. A qualification is merely a push in the right direction, not a right of passage to the top.

 

My thanks to the lecturers though, they've got a tough job, how many times have you cringed at the newbie doing something stupid obliviously? Now imagine that all day, every day .

[Joe]

As an Arb student myself I think it's unfair to say that most will NEVER make good arborists, I'm hardly employable at the moment when it comes to climbing despite having the relevant CS, but it would be unfair to expect the lecturers to make perfect climbers out of us all, there'd be no time for anything else. I've just got my own gear so I can practice and as is the case with nearly all degree's, you only get out what you put in.

 

I'm hoping to get into the industry when I leave but I realise it will be dragging brash, just hopefully I can work my way up to climbing a bit quicker than someone with no experience. A qualification is merely a push in the right direction, not a right of passage to the top.

 

My thanks to the lecturers though, they've got a tough job, how many times have you cringed at the newbie doing something stupid obliviously? Now imagine that all day, every day .

 

i totally agree mate im an arb student as welll, and when i say most will never make it, thats because they dont realise how hard the job actually is. it sounds like you do realise that you wont be a top climber straight away, and that you will be mostly just grounding, with the odd smallish climb, which is a much more realistic view than what a lot of the lads on my course think, as many of them think they'll leave college fully experienced. good luck with your career mate.

[gibbon]

The college near us has been offering arb courses for 6 or 7 years now. Some of the lecturers did the course and went straight on to teaching there. I know 1 guy who was offered a job as an instructer whilst on a cs31 course. The upshot of this is students being "guided" by guys with no industry experience.

 

Its a real shame, but the course has no credibility with local employers. Personally I have found that it is easier to employ totally inexperienced guys and pay for the training than get students who are equally in experienced but think they are above starting form the bottom as they spent a year at college.

 

Every year one will try to set up a firm and fail. 1 mature student even invested £60,000 into a start up and I have never seen so much as a branch on his truck.

 

This isn't a rant on colleges as I bet there are good ones out there, its just the one in my neck of the woods isn't so great. I guess if you are serious about a college course a little reseach into the employment success of previous students might be very usefull before coughing up the cash

[Tommy_B]

Gibbon, where abouts are you based?