Photo courtesy of Les Starling.

James shines in the practical elements of his course. He is very enthusiastic; whether cutting gorse on the hillside in mid-winter or knee deep in soft mud clearing out ditches, he approaches it all with a positive can-do attitude.

James is methodical and focussed paying close attention to detail, the quality of his work and the result, which is always clean, tidy and professional.

James works extremely well in a small team, but his attitude and commitment has set him apart from the rest of his course which will serve him well in the future.

Photo courtesy of Les Starling

Joe is enthusiastic and always up to the challenge, particularly in his practical work where he has a good awareness of safety issues and always aims to give his best at all he does.

Joe is helpful, enthusiastic and always ready to try any new challenges. He likes nothing more than getting to grips with new techniques, equipment and machinery.

Joe is interested in vintage tractors and chainsaws and has a mind for the technical details. Joe has developed good control and operation of the tractors and continues to improve his tree climbing and pruning abilities.

Photo courtesy of Les Starling 

Photo courtesy of Les Starling

Jordan has worked extremely hard since he began the apprenticeship with us in January 2018 and has shown great improvement in this time.

Jordan’s behaviour in college and his attitude towards his theory/written work have come on leaps and bounds throughout his time with us. He is always amongst the first to finish his written assignments and is continuously engaged with the subjects covered in class.

Joseph came to the forestry course late in the year, having transferred from Agriculture Level 2.

Since joining the course, he has excelled in the practical elements, becoming proficient in chainsaw cross cutting and maintenance. Joseph shows enthusiasm and dedication to these elements of college, working hard in the woods or out in the yard stacking timber. In all areas of his work Joseph takes pride in ensuring his work is carried out to a high standard.

Since we have started looking at felling, he has grasped the theory quickly and works hard to get a good directional fell. 

Joseph wishes to pursue a career in forestry and arboriculture, and I believe that he will be an asset to the industry.

Daniel displays a hard-working attitude towards his practical sessions and assignments. He is always the first to offer help to the less experienced students with his group.

When climbing Daniel always follows instructions and has an obvious talent and ability.

Every day he attends lessons with a positive attitude towards the day and with a smile on his face.

Jack is due to enter the industry following the successful completion of this year and will look to apply for positions in the industry taking him further afield after a successful year working with a local firm.

Jack has remained a dedicated student striving for excellence over the last 2 years of study and will continue this into the workplace.  His grades have improved across the board and he has continued to develop his practical skills to industry standards and beyond, showing deft skills with climbing and chainsaw operation.

Jack has matured into a student who will no doubt go far in the industry.

Matthew demonstrated diligence and commitment throughout the course. His felling and chainsaw use were consistently of a high standard. Assignments were well researched and thorough, and he consistently provide support and help to younger members of the class.

Matthew's award was presented by North Eastern Division Hon. Secretary Hugh Bence.

Oliver Vincent, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture.

Oliver has excelled throughout his time at Plumpton, he has gone from strength to strength in all aspects for the course. Oliver always showed a special interest in forestry skills, woodland management and the forestry machinery side of the course. He is now competent in using all of our machinery which includes Valtra and Botex.

William Smith, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture.

Billy has been at Plumpton for the past two years. When he joined the course, his main interest was the arboriculture side but over time this has shifted to woodland management and forestry.

Billy was encouraged to apply for a woodland management job, the owner of the woodland was happy to offer Billy the job due to his enthusiasm.

Billy has excelled in all aspects of practical woodland management and loves to see the wildlife benefits of his work.

Sam is an extremely hard-working individual who has excelled in her theoretical studies across all topic areas. She has also consistently pushed and challenged herself in her practical studies demonstrating real determination and a real passion for all the tasks that she has undertaken.

Sam has been a pleasure to teach in both theory and practical sessions and is always keen and willing to learn no matter what the task, topic or weather.