Rolla,
Thanks for the reference i will take look, who wrote the article?
Funding is available through business link via the european social fund the problem is this funding is available in different amounts, and different times of the year depending on where you are located. The major factor is this funding cannot be used for qualifications required by law.
Colleges can draw funding via the learning and skills council (LSC) but the course must be accrediated via QCA, therefore the suite of NPTC Cs units apply, this is why colleges can afford to offer courses that bit cheaper. Independant training providers stuggle to access this but it isn't impossible. Look for a college with COVE (centre of vocational excellence) you will find the subject area with COVE status offers cheap training, this may only continue untill June/July 06.
Welsh employers and employees may be able to gain funding via ELWA (Education Learning Welsh Assembly - i think!), a good internet search should bring them up.
The issue of refresher training and occasional users is a concern and that is why reccommendations are set at 3 years for these users, professional users do develop bad habits that is a non starter, anpother major reason for update training are the changes in techniques, whether it be legislation, best practice or ground based/aerial techniques.
Jamie you have a perfectly valid point over "saw time" those professional users who do use the saw every day do become more user friendly, maybe they do not work in line with best prective every day but there techniques generally are very good and safe within reason. I think this saw time issue does raise concern as in cases with the NPTC Cs30 Maintain and operate the chainsaw unit, the unit requires a minimum of ten cuts which several must display tension and compression and that's it!
Machinery use all comes down to looking at the risk level and should be assessed in each given situation, so far as chippers are concerned the general provisons of the PUWER regs need to be adhered to as in instruction, training and supervison. To keep it simple there is no requirement to hold an NPTC cert of comp for this area, a LANTRA ITA course would surfice or even in house training, this does in itself carry issues and i would reccommended anyone contemplating this have a read over AFAG 805 Training and certification guide. If still in doubt ask your training provider if they are open about these issues, or come back to me.
I cannot speak on behalf of the HSE but for all the discussions i have had with them, accrediated training whether it be in case run in accordance with current thinking, NPTC cert of comp or Lantra ITA courses are all a very large step in the right direction. And to actively insist that NPTC certs of comp must be achieved in this area i feel would be wrong and i doubt the HSE would do such a thing. (My opinion)
