arboricultural association

[Marc]

Ok here is my question who is a member of the arboricultural association and why?

It seem's to me that to go to a company to be assessed after going via NPTC/ CITY&GUILDS is paying out TWICE after already passing your qualifications to approved standards, are our I.D. cards not for the purpose of showing that we have attained these qualifications to the required standard.

It just seems to me that to pay out a yearly subscription to use there approved contractor logo, and be on there LIST, to be assessed again (taking time out from paying work) is odd, we have PROVED by taking our courses that we can do the work to BS3998 showing we are capable to work at safely, and to meet current HSE.

I ask this these questions because I have just had a contract turned down because I am not in the arboricultural association.

 

I think the points have already been well covered by Yorkshireman, and now whilst I appreciate having done my NPTC's i am realistic enough to know these do not make me either qualified or competent to carry out this job commercially. Also not sure how doing NPTC proves you work to BS3998?

So whilst the AAAC scheme may not be perfect it has its positives to.

[Yorkshireman]

Marc LOL .. thats because I've been through exactly what & where you're going through..

 

I started my firm 13 years ago, with frankly sod all .. borrowed some money and have worked damn hard ever since

 

the burden of accreditation isn't cheap, either in monetary or office commitment terms.. but if you want to prove your firms quality, to bigger buyers then I'm afraid it is the only way..

 

re this incident if you don't want to say who it was in public forum, if you pm me I might be able to suggest ways to afford this

 

the AA isn't what it was ! , nor are they anti small firms, speak to their Paul Smith, he's a nice bloke

Edited October 30, 2013 by Yorkshireman

[Shane]

I am always happy to give any customer the names and phone numbers of any of my customers who want to know, if they where happy with the finished work, I really just cannot get my head around why I need a company not an approved government bodies approval

 

Marc - There is no doubting your work. The issue I have with this statement, and the Check a trade type organisations is that tradesmen would never give a disgruntled customer a feedback form or pass on their details to prospective customers as a reference. They will always offer a list of 'tame' customers.

 

Just my opinion but I know a few tradesmen who play that game.

 

The approval bit seems two pronged - to show a professional standard is applied across the entire company and therefore open doors with large companies who want proof of such competencies.

 

An example could be good timekeeping (no NPTC cert shows this) or a procedure for waste disposal to name just a couple.

 

Documented procedures can tie you in knots, but the down-side can be outweighed by the 'door-opening' benefits

[steve@black]

Personally whilst the AAAC sets e benchmark it is my opinion the iso9001 is a better one to go for , the arb approved contractors are plentyful now where as before it was a way of getting a couple of steps in front of the competition. I might be wrong but councils or anyone can not insist the contractor is AAAC but has to work to those standards.

[Steve Bullman]

my point really is anyone could create a website lets call it "british arboricultural association"

 

Yep you're right...anyone could, but it was the AA who got off their backsides and did it

[Rupe]

There are plenty of contracts available where you dont need to AA approved, just go for them instead. You will find that in most cases you will have to submit a lot of paperwaork and if your paper work is fine then you will get the contracts (on price to of course), but many organistions choose to use AA apporved only so that they then dont need to look at all the paperwork of each contractor. Its a free world, those issueing contracts can choose any organisation they like do the assessments for them, AA, CHAS, checkatrade etc etc.

 

If you can find one that only uses contractors approved by the governing body that you have just invented and that you are the only member of then you are onto a winner!

[Rupe]

And your NPTS etc. are not in any way a qualification to do tree work, and on there own they are completly useless in procuroing contracts from councils etc.

[Mark Bolam]

Has anyone on here ever met someone who is 'NPTC qualified' but utterly useless at tree work?

[Eddy_t]

Has anyone on here ever met someone who is 'NPTC qualified' but utterly useless at tree work?

 

Yup, my boss

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Mark Bolam]

Yup, my boss

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

Hahaha, but you don't work for me Eddy!