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Gwynedd

1 Stories - 10 Images - 1 Contributors
Robin Roberts’s employment outlook was as bleak as the weather often is in rural North Wales, when he was made redundant from his job earlier this year. He was labouring for a tree service specialist in Pentir and dreamt of becoming a qualified tree surgeon. The redundancy occurred in the midst of international financial turmoil, and as home owners cut back on incidental maintenance for their gardens many arboriculturists struggled to survive the downturn. Large companies also laid off highly skilled and experienced people adding to the redundant pool. Against this background Robin applied for funding to train and qualify as a tree surgeon from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Redundancy Action Scheme (ReAct). His career training and development was successfully funded to the tune of £2700, and he enrolled on the intensive courses with the local North Wales specialist trainers Treevolution, completing his final assessment in October 2009. Bernie Jelfs owns a specialist tree removal and maintenance company, TLC, based in Llanberis. At sixty three he is still remarkably fit and slim having started his business 8 years ago after a distinguished career of 37 years in the Army. He was latterly stationed at the Capel Curig camp and has, for the last 19 years, lived in North Wales. Friends with the legendary climber Joe Brown, Bernie “loves the area” and still enjoys climbing trees and maintaining them although he is acutely aware that, at his age, he sometimes welcomes and needs assistance from youthful tyros. Bernie has been inundated with enquiries for work from redundant and experienced tree surgeons but decided to give the newly qualified Robin the opportunity to work with him and gain mentored “working experience” as well as an income. Under Bernie’s close supervision we observe Robin making his early cuts and fells on Ash and Sycamore trees, taking instruction on best practice and watching the master tree surgeon himself in action. On a splendid sunny November day in North Wales the future for Robin now dawns more brightly; we celebrate his WAG funded training and the opportunity he now has to develop his chosen vocation thanks to the patience and mentoring provided by Bernie Jelfs.

Society

Welsh Assembly Government fund chainsaw training

Robin Roberts - who was made redundant from his job as a tree-surgeon last year found work with help from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Redundancy...

by Stephen Ford in United Kingdom on 10/11/2009

10/11/2009 - Welsh Assembly Government fund chainsaw training - United Kingdom - Robin Roberts - who was made redundant...

Latest News

Welsh Assembly Government fund chainsaw training

Society

Welsh Assembly Government fund chainsaw training

Robin Roberts - who was made redundant from his job as a tree-surgeon last year found work with help from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Redundancy Action Scheme (ReAct). Gwynedd, Wale...
by Stephen Ford, on 10th of November 2009

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