Arborist

On an arborist apprenticeship course, you’ll help care for trees in many urban and rural environments, from city parks and urban forests to country estates and private gardens.

The industry takes care of trees near highways, railways, rivers, and power lines. Chainsaw work, aerial tree work, pruning, disassembly, and the use of appropriate equipment will be among your duties.

Tree maintenance may be physically demanding and is carried out outdoors in all-weather situations. You might even try your hand at aerial tree work, which has difficulties.

After finishing this apprenticeship, you may go on to inspect and assess individual and forest trees, advise landowners on tree care, or teach people about the benefits of tree care.

What you’ll learn

On an arborist apprenticeship course, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of trees
• The use and application of arboricultural equipment
• The principles of the establishment, growth and care of trees
• The principles and importance of identifying trees and the value of using their scientific names
• The principles and importance of identifying and managing pests, diseases and disorders of trees
• Current environmental, wildlife and health and safety legislation, standards and codes of practice concerning arboricultural works
• Legislation relating to trees, e.g. Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas
• Procedures and specific instructions for dealing with incidents and emergencies
• Electrical safety for working in the vicinity of power lines

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment consists of four elements:

• A holistic project
• An interview with an assessor 
• Multiple-choice questions 
• Practical tests.

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 2 Arborist Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.