Certification

ISA made arborist certification on an international level a reality in early 1992 and to date, over ten thousand arborists have become certified. Arborists now have an educationally challenging program designed to upgrade the knowledge and proficiency levels in the profession. Certification provides a vehicle to convey an arborist's competence and commitment to professionalism to the consumer.

For the individual arborist, becoming certified brings the opportunity for learning, growth, and advancement, which are significant factors contributing to job satisfaction.

The process of becoming certified and maintaining the designation provides a sense of accomplishment and recognition. Certification breeds self-confidence and self-respect and serves to prove that the individual has the capacity to meet the mental and physical challenges of the profession.

Governmental, utility and private tree care customers are afforded the opportunity to make informed selections on the basis of competence represented by the certification designation. From an employer's perspective, certification credentials held by a job applicant provide a degree of assurance that the candidate has certain basic skills and qualifications that relate to the position. The certification process provides employees with a better overall understanding of the business.

ISA's certification program has already done more to increase the professional stature of arborists than any other single program.

Certification in the UK and Ireland is administered for ISA by the UK&I Chapter at
148 Hydes Road
Wednesbury
West Midlands
WS10 0DR
Tel. / Fax 0121 556 8302

Please contact the chapter office on 0121 556 8302

The certification exam takes place three times per year at various centres throughout the UK.

Cappel Manor College Middlesex Website

ISA Certification is granted for a three-year period. In order to maintain the Certified Arborist designation, all Certified Arborists must recertify every three years. The purpose of recertification is to encourage arborists to stay abreast of new industry developments and techniques, and to maintain high standards for the ISA Certification programme.

Recertification requires the accumulation of thirty (30) Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) over the three-year certification period. There is no carry-over of credits in excess of the (30) required from one certification period to the next.

An unlimited amount of CEU credits may be Measured Learning (ML) credits. These may be earned through the successful completion of written evaluations. For example, ML credits may be gained through programmes such as the NAA Home Study Course or by completion of the regular CEU features in the ISA trade magazine Arborist News, or ISA question-sets included in some ISA publications.

Publication of technical articles can also qualify the author for ML credits. Contact the ISA Europe office if you require more information on ML credits.

The other more common type of CEU is the Seat Time (ST) credit. These are earned by attending approved seminars, meetings or workshops. For Seat Time credits, one hour of seat time equals one CEU. The minimum amount of CEU credit can be offered is 0.5: educational sessions of less than thirty minutes are not eligible for credit.

Organisations, educators and companies wanting their educational programmes approved in advance for CEU credit may request "Session/Course Approval Application" forms from the ISA UK&I chapter office. Applications must be returned to the ISA UK&I chapter office for final approval.

In order to register their CEUs for credit, Certified arborists need to complete and send in CEU forms to the UK&I chapter office. When educational programmes have not been approved in advance for CEU credits, Certified arborists may still request credits by sending the following to the ISA UK&I chapter office: (1) a completed CEU Attendance form (b) a copy of the session programme or agenda (inclusive of event timetable) and (c) proof of attendance.

CEU's for UK&I certified arborists are now managed by the UK&I chapter office. To register CEU's send course details and proof of attendance to the chapter office at

148 Hydes Road
Wednesbury
West Midlands
WS10 0DR
Tel. / Fax 0121 556 8302