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Diploma in Arboriculture and Forestry Skills - Level 2Apply Now »
Location: Broomfield Hall
Years: 1
Interview: Y
Course Summary
If you are interested in a career in arboriculture and forestry management, this one-year course gives you a thorough grounding in both the theory and the practical skills you need. You will develop your abilities through tasks at Broomfield Hall and other rural settings.
Entry requirements
You need to be highly motivated and demonstrate a keen interest in arboriculture. Offers of a place on the course are dependent on your qualifications and practical aptitude. You will need:
- To be physically fit. (Candidates are interviewed and their climbing aptitude is assessed at the start of the course)
- A minimum of three GCSEs at grade D or above, including English and/or Maths
OR
- An Introductory Diploma in a related subject
If you are a mature learner, we may be able to take into consideration your previous experience in your chosen subject.
All applicants will be interviewed, will undertake an initial assessment in English and Maths, and must present an example of current work.
Course Content
The course will cover:
- Ground-based operations
- Tree planting and care
- Business
- Tree climbing and pruning
- Work experience
- Trees and the law
- Tree identification
- Tree biology
- Machinery and maintenance
- Fungi/pest diseases
In addition, if you have not obtained GCSE English and/or Maths at grade C or above, you will be required to study Functional English and/or Maths.
How will I be assessed?
Each unit is assessed in a range of ways, including written assignments, practical skill tests and an identification test. All work will be collated into a portfolio of evidence.
Are there any additional costs or specialist equipment required?
You will be required to supply your own:
- Specialist kit to include helmet and chainsaw clothing (This will be discussed at interview and a specialist company will visit the College during Induction Week to advise you)
- Derby College uniform
- Writing materials
What can I do after this course?
You can progress to a Level 3 apprenticeship in Arboriculture or another related subject, provided you have passed this course with a minimum of a Merit grade. You could also go on to work in the forestry and arboriculture industry or become self-employed using the skills you have gained.
Derby College offers a range of one-day, weekend and evening courses relating to Arboriculture, as well as a wide range of other land-based topics - please see the Derby College Part-time Prospectus for a full list and details.
Did you find the course information on this page useful?
Mark Hall
Mark scales the heights after retraining as arborist
Mature student Mark Hall clearly recalls the elation he felt when he conquered his fears and peeped from the top branch of a towering tree across the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. Mark, 40, took redundancy from his supervisor's job at Tesco in Alfreton and retrained as an arborist at Derby College's Broomfield Hall. Now he and his colleague Andrew Fretwell, who also took redundancy from Tesco, have launched their own business,
Green Line Tree Services. Mark gained a Distinction on his Level 2 Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture, second only to Andrew's Distinction*. He said he gradually built confidence in his climbing skills and in using his equipment. The moment he first stood at the top of his "target tree" to look at the stunning views around Broomfield Hall is "not one I'm likely to forget." He said:
It was an excellent course. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I got on very well with the lecturers. They knew so much and it almost felt like an honour to be able to absorb their knowledge as they passed it on.
"The wealth of information that was there throughout, from woodland management, to the practical side: you never felt you weren't getting what you needed.
