Myerscough College student James Blades (left) and Richard Trippett, UK and Ireland Division Manager of Bartlett Tree Experts.
This year Myerscough College has become a Bartlett Tree Foundation School. Arboriculture student James Blades is the first Myerscough recipient of the £1000 bursary provided by the foundation.
Bartlett Tree Experts began the Foundation in 1985 to encourage careers in arboriculture and related fields of study. Twenty-nine colleges and universities in the US are currently affiliated with the Bartlett scholarship programme; Myerscough is the first participating college in England.
Richard Trippett, Division Manager of Bartlett Tree Experts in the UK and Ireland, said,
“Myerscough College has a tradition of excellence in producing the next generation of arborists and horticulturalists.
“I'm proud to be part of their programme and am looking forward to working with them to help cultivate the next generation of arborists. In addition to receiving the bursary, James has now joined the Bartlett team at Manchester on a part-time basis while he completes his studies after spending last summer on an internship.”
James was chosen to receive the bursary based on his application which included a 1 OOO-word essay on why he chose to pursue studies in arboricu lture. The '1000 words for a 1 OOO pounds' essay describes the evolution of his love for the profession. In addition to achieving distinction in his Level 3 studies in arboriculture at Houghall College, James worked full time to have the necessary funding to pursue his passion for tree climbing. The study of trees - and especially climbing them - was inspiring for James:
“For the first time in my adult life I realised what it meant to be passionate and truly interested by a subject, as well as how much enjoyment I derived from working hard at my studies and the satisfaction that achieving highly gave me.”
After Houghall College, James became a climber for a local tree company, and then decided to expand his experience by working for a tree company in New Zealand for several months. Currently, in addition to pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Arboriculture at Myerscough, James works several days a week as a climber for local companies. He is considering continuing his education through the Myerscough Master of Science programme.
Like many arborists, James likes the juxtaposition of intellectual pursuit with competitive climbing:
“It is my hope that I can help to raise the standard of the arboricultural industry wherever I am and in time influence and epitomise what it means to be a good arborist with the knowledge and passion that should be required to hold such a title.”
Bartlett Tree Experts are actively recruiting for arborist positions and consultants in the UK, Canada and USA. If you would like to register an interest, please send an email to careers@Bartlett.com with a brief covering letter and CV expressing your area/location of interest.
Article taken from Issue 183 of The ARB Magazine. Members can view their copy here.