Baobab

I'm at Pershore College studying Arb & they don't they don't give a **** ! Worst College EVER !

Thanks for the reply Ad. The problem is i was under the impression, like many others on the course that we come out with a Level 3 in Arboriculture + the other additional units. That was promised to us. I mean, they said yesterday that they knew in October 2009 that the funding had been taken away from them - even though they listed the course content with all the above. What is strange is if they knew about the funding getting taken away from them in October 2009, why did they put us through the CS30/31, [which was completed by students in approx Feb 2010 approx four months later] They also put two lads in for a chipper ticket [Which wasn't mentioned to anyone - but at present they say we have to pay for ourselves even though it was down as we would get that for free] and the bare face lies from the main Arb tutor, backed up with the principle face to face telling us that in June 2010 we were being allocated days in August 2010 that we will take the CS38 unit. It seems they are trying to use the funding taken away from them as a leverage against us.

Thanks for the reply's Felix. When i signed up, they told me that it was a two year course. But it was in two stages - I signed last year for the first year which was classed as a Advanced National Cert... on successful completion i can progress to the Advanced National Diploma. Which all in all they told me ends up with a level 3 qualification. So one year i signed for. I really feel like they have mislead us with how they have gone about it.

What i paid for the first year was around a grand. That was paid in installments. However, now they want me to sign a new agreement for the second year, with another price. The college tutor was saying that the first year was a ANC Leading into the second year which turned into an AND.

Plus i don't have any details of the course as they have now updated there website and the course name has changed.... Not happy. It was the first year they have run the course when i started !!! Lucky me !

Thanks for the reply Felix. It's strange as they made it out as a two year course. But too get to the second year you would need to pass all modules and an exam at the end of the first year. It is a full time course. Most of the lads are thinking of throwing it all in. Not good.

Nice one mate, will have some fun with this !!

buckingham titanium - top draw ! work for me anyway !

I have recently started the second year of a level 3 Arb course. The total cost for the course is on average around a thousand pound per year. When I decided to take the plunge and go into Arb I thought it was best to get a college course behind me so I could progress a little better in the industry when I finish. So I checked all the Arb courses around the area, and decided to go for it. That decision was on the basis of meeting the Arb leader of that course before I signed up as he told me that I would come out with a Level Three Arb NPTC. In addition I would also come out with CS30/31/38/39, Chipper, Stumpy, Mewp & FA tickets. I thought it was a good deal for my hard earned two grand so I signed up. As it stands after one year I only have the CS30/31 like all the other lads on the course which were the only one’s the college got around to do last year. The college kept saying if you did not have all your course work in that you couldn’t do CS units so that’s the way they played it – I had my coursework already in at that time. So I come into my second year and sensibly ask questions that relate to the other tickets that are promised. The answers I got today have made me livid as the college is now saying that we ourselves have to pay for the courses ! Now the course was advertised online, which is where I found out about the course in the first place. That is where it said I would come out with all the relevant tickets etc on completion of the second year. I was also told this by the main Arb tutor when I first signed up. Many of the other students were told exactly the same. They, like me are completely unhappy about the why we have been treated. At the end of last year a lot of the lads on the course were getting a little peeved off with how the course was going, as some of the course is Hort based and everyone wanted more Arb modules. We also wanted answers to why it was taking so long to put us through the CS38. So with a few letters from a mature student sent to the main man of the college we eventually ended up with a meeting with the college principle and the main Arb teacher around April 2010. We aired out views and sorted some problems out. We were told/promised that we would take out CS38 in August 2010 after college finishes for summer as time was running out for the first year. The first year of the course ended and we were told the CS38 would now be in September. Since my return to college we now have been told that CS38/39 will not be given to us and we will have to foot the bill. This is the same for the other tickets, even though this was part of the deal when we signed up. I even found out today that two of the lads on the course were put through the chipper ticket without the other lads knowing. A lot of the lads are unhappy with this situation and some are not going to pay another year until this gets sorted out. The problem I have is that has the people behind the course misled me? The tutor I spoke to today said that the situation regarding CS Units and other tickets were because of lack of funding, which was known to them last October. We were never told until now. But they seem to have played us with telling us we will have the other courses on their way in the 2nd year + that chipper ticket trick with two of the lads ! However, I have spent over a thousand pound now and if I want to complete the course they are asking for another grand ! Any comments would really be appreciated!!