Arboriculture programmes in the United Kingdom: college courses and apprenticeship standards

This page describes courses from the pages of four colleges and the apprenticeship pages of Skills England, all read on October 9, 2026. It lists what each page says: level, length, place, start months and entry wording. It does not rank colleges, give fees or say which course suits which person. A college page can change between one intake and the next. Which tickets sit inside a course is covered in the UK award lookup, and the questions to ask any trainer are in choosing a course.

Askham Bryan College, York

The college lists arboriculture and forestry under one department page. Four courses shown on it carry arboriculture in the title or description, all at the York campus.

Course, level and length	What the page says
Level 2 Forestry and Arboriculture. Level 2, full time, 1 year	Entry wording is four GCSEs at grade 3 or above including maths and English, or a Level 1 vocational qualification with English and maths at Level 1. Assessment is by multiple choice exams and a synoptic assessment. The page names Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture as the next step.
T Level Tree and Woodland Management and Maintenance (Arboriculture). Level 3, full time, 2 years	Entry wording is four GCSEs at grade 4 or above in English, maths and science, or a Level 2 vocational qualification at Merit or above. Learners must be 16 to 18 on or before August 31 of the year they enrol. The page lists modules such as biosecurity, health and safety, and tree work operations, and says an extra ticket such as chainsaw maintenance or tree climbing is part of the offer.
Level 2 Arborist Apprenticeship (Tree Surgeon). Level 2, 2 years	The page lists extra awards completed on the way: a Level 3 award in emergency first aid at work, a Level 2 award in safe use of a brushwood chipper, a Level 2 award in chainsaw maintenance and a Level 2 award in crosscutting. Entry wording is Level 1 maths and English.
Level 4 Arboriculturist Apprenticeship. Level 4, 30 to 36 months, day release at York	The page describes the role as tree inspections and surveys, recording information on tree management databases. It says candidates need grade 4 in English and maths at GCSE, or must reach Level 2 in them during the apprenticeship.

Myerscough College, Lancashire and Liverpool

Myerscough lists arboriculture under "Trees and Woodland" for both further education and apprenticeships. It describes its Preston campus as the home of the National Centre for Arboriculture, with an indoor climbing room and a chainsaw workshop.

Course, level, length and place	What the page says
Level 2 CG Technical Certificate Arboriculture. One year, 35 weeks, Liverpool or Preston campus	Start dates listed are September 2026 and September 2027. Extra City and Guilds (NPTC) Level 2 awards are listed for chainsaw maintenance and crosscutting, the safe use of a manually fed wood chipper and the safe use of stump grinders. Entry wording is three GCSEs at grade 3 including English language, maths and science.
T Level Tree and Woodland Management and Maintenance (Arboriculture). Two years, 70 weeks, Preston campus	Start dates listed are September 2026 and September 2027. Modules named include biosecurity, business and communication.
Level 2 Arborist apprenticeship (two intakes). Two years, Preston campus	The page for the first intake lists an October 2026 start and says it is full, with the next intake in March 2027. The second-intake page lists March 2027. Entry wording says the apprentice must be 16 or over, employed (not self-employed) for at least 30 hours a week, and have the right to work in England.
Level 4 Arboriculturist. Two years, 104 weeks, at the employer's premises	September 2026 start listed, and the page also says the course is full for 2026 starts, with the next intake in September 2027. Entry wording is four GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including maths and English (or Level 2 vocational plus those two), plus a related qualification or significant industry experience and a relevant job.
Level 6 Professional Arboriculturist. Four years, 208 weeks, at the employer's premises	The page says 2026 starts are full and the next intake is September 2027. Entry wording is five GCSE passes at grade 4 or above plus 48 UCAS Tariff points.
Level 3 Forest Craftsperson. Listed with the University of Cumbria as location	Harvesting or establishment pathway. Listed on the same page, not an arboriculture course in its title.

Sparsholt College, Hampshire

Sparsholt lists Arboriculture and Forestry, Level 2 Technical Certificate, as a one year full-time course taught on campus, with an interview. Entry wording is four GCSEs at grade 3 or higher with English or maths among them, or a relevant Level 1 qualification. The page says learners must be physically fit and 17 or over at the start because of age restrictions on chainsaw use, and that mature students may be considered with other qualifications or experience. Topics it names include tools and equipment, plant and soil science, tree classification and identification, and tree establishment and aftercare. It also expects a work placement in the sector. The page names the T Level in Trees and Woodland Management as the next step and lists optional extra awards: chainsaw maintenance and crosscutting, small tree felling, stump grinder and chipper.

The college's subject page for Arboriculture, Forestry and Woodland Management lists, besides that certificate, a Trees and Woodland T Level and an Arborist apprenticeship. It also lists part-time City and Guilds short courses at Level 2, among them Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue, Using a Chainsaw from a Rope and Harness, and Safe Use of Manually Fed Wood-chipper.

Reaseheath College, Cheshire

Reaseheath lists two further education routes in forestry and arboriculture: the T Level in Tree and Woodland Management and Maintenance (Arboriculture) at Level 3, and a Level 2 Transition to T Level in Forestry and Arboriculture. The T Level page lists September 2026 and September 2027 starts, a two year full-time course and a 315 hour work placement, equal to 45 days. It says the first year covers core topics such as health and safety, sustainability, business and biosecurity, and the second year is the occupational specialism in Trees and Woodland Management, Arboriculture. Entry wording is typically five GCSEs at grade 4 including maths and English, plus an interview and an applicant day. It says tuition and exam costs are free for learners under 19 on August 31 of the start year, and that learners over 19 are not eligible for a T Level.

What the apprenticeship standards say

Skills England publishes the apprenticeship standards that the colleges teach to. Its page for the Arboriculturist standard gives reference ST0921, Level 4, a typical duration of 30 months not counting the assessment period, and 535 minimum hours for compliance. It shows the status "Approved for delivery (available for starts)" and says a revised assessment plan replaces the existing one for new starts on June 10, 2027. Its page for the Professional Arboriculturist standard gives reference ST0922, Level 6, an integrated degree, a typical duration of 36 months not counting assessment, and 626 minimum hours, with the Office for Students as external quality assurance. That page says the standard is in revision and the version shown remains approved for delivery meanwhile.

Skills England also publishes the Arborist standard, reference ST0223 at Level 2. The page cited here is version 1.0, marked retired, with a link to a later version. It carries a note that from September 1, 2025 the revised Lantra Level 3 Award in Accessing a Tree Using a Rope and Harness and Aerial Rescue is accepted in place of two older Lantra awards, and a version log that shows versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2. The page also lists the Society for the Environment route to the Entry-Level Environmentalist status for those who finish the apprenticeship.

Where the lists stop

Four colleges are not the whole country, and other colleges run arboriculture courses. The UK apprenticeships guide and the England employer page cover the funding side from the official sources.