Focus on Forestry First Ltd

New Entrant Registration & Funding

The Focus on Forestry First project funding supports Welsh based business within the Trees & Timber sector, normally this would not include new entrants into the sector as there are alternative funding routes through Welsh Government / EU.

The industry consultative group have decided that FFF can support base level qualifications when it has been identified that they will be subcontracting for an established business within the Trees & Timber sector and the ICG expect these New Entrant Business to consolidate this training.

When a self-employed person or business with PAYE employees have been trading for less than 6 months and/or lack their base level qualifications, FFF are able to follow this plan –

Fund base level Training –

1. Emergency First Aid at Work + Forestry (immediate requirement before any other training is attempted)
2. Level 2 Award in Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross Cutting
3. Level 2 Award in Felling and Processing Trees up to 380mm

As well as those three qualifications, FFF will agree to fund one other base level skill that holds no prerequisite requirements, please find a list of options for this below –

1. Level 2 Award in Safe Use of a Pole Pruner
2. Level 2 Award in Safe Use of Stump Grinders
3. Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Brush-cutters and Trimmers
4. Level 2 Award in Safe Use of a Manually Fed Wood-chipper
5. Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Leaf Blowers and vacuums
6. Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Handheld Hedge Cutters
7. Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Forestry Clearing Saw
8. Level 2 Award in Tree Climbing and Rescue
9. NRSWA Signing Lighting & guarding (unit 2 for operators)

FFF will evaluate the beneficiaries progress & capabilities after 6 months. At this point we would expect all of the initial agreed training to have been completed & well consolidated in the workplace.

They will also have unlimited access to our Knowledge Transfer workshops, a rough idea of the campaigns we are organising can be round in the attached PDF.

Courses FFF will not fund for New Entrants and/or businesses that lack base level Trees & Timber qualifications –

• PTS rail safety or any affiliated training / qualifications
• IRATA (any level)
• Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pedestrian Controlled Mowers
• Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Ride-On Self Propelled Mowers
• Level 2 Principles of Safe Handling and Application of Pesticides Guidance (PA1) & Level 2 Award in the Safe Application of Pesticides using Pedestrian Hand Held Equipment including to or Near Water (PA6 + AW)
• Any Level 3 Climbing or Chainsaw courses.
• Safe use of MEWP
• CPCS cards / CSCS qualifications
• FMO qualifications
• HGV
• Basic Tree Inspection

With regards to your email concerning Jordan Latham, as per the above information - once he is a registered beneficiary with FFF we would be able to fund the basic chainsaw course & brush-cutter training as long as Jordan completed Emergency First Aid at Work + Forestry First.