Choosing a climbing course: questions for the trainer and the official registers

Courses vary a lot. Some end with an assessment that earns a recognised certificate. Some are training only. Some prepare you for an exam that someone else runs. This page lists what to ask, and where each country keeps its official record.

First question: what do you actually need?

A course is matched to the job ad, the employer or the rule that applies, not the other way round. The trainer can state which exact certificate, unit or qualification a course ends with. A course name does not say which certificate it gives. A unit number or qualification code does. Where the ad names a certificate, the code or the title is matched word for word.

In Australia, a Certificate IV in Arboriculture (AHC41916) shows as deleted on the register, and the Certificate III in Arboriculture is AHC30824, with the older AHC30820 shown as superseded. In the UK, older ads may use codes that awarding bodies no longer list. The guide on certifications by country has the details for each country.

Training, assessment and exam are three different things

Training only

Lantra lists some courses as training only. Its page for a five-day tree access and rescue course says the course is not an alternative to the qualification, and that professional users must achieve the Level 2 Award in Accessing a Tree Using a Rope and Harness and the Level 3 Award in Aerial Tree Rescue Operations. See Lantra's aerial arboriculture courses.

Assessed qualifications

In the UK, an older City and Guilds NPTC guide for the rope and harness award says attending a course is not a requirement for being assessed, and that assessment centres arrange the assessment. It also gives a minimum age of 16 for these certificates of competence. That guide carries a 2016 copyright date. See the NPTC qualification guidance.

The Forestry Industry Safety Accord guide 805, updated August 2025, recommends that professional chainsaw operators working in forestry, aerial tree work included, confirm their training by independent assessment leading to a recognised qualification. It says this is also a common contract requirement. See the FISA 805 guide.

Lantra runs an online certificate checker for its own certificates and skills cards, which an employer can use to look up a holder's certificate.

Certification exams

ISA draws a line between the two. Its page on credential types says a certification is voluntary, covers a broad body of knowledge, and is assessed independently of any class or training program. Trainers are barred from assessing their own trainees. A qualification, by contrast, usually follows a classroom course, and trainers may assess their own trainees depending on the program. So an ISA exam prep class is not the exam. ISA exams are held on paper through a chapter or partner, or on computer at a Pearson VUE centre. ISA says it gives no refunds on exam enrolments and takes no registrations on the day (ISA exam information).

Licences are separate from courses

Some US states license tree work, among them Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Louisiana. A course does not give you a state licence. The state agency says what its licence needs, as on the Louisiana arborist licensing page. The guide on certifications by country covers who each law applies to.

The official registers

Country	Where to look	What it shows
United States and Canada	ISA credentials pages	Eligibility, fees, renewal for each ISA credential
Quebec	quebec.ca arboriculture page	Required courses, hours, exam
United Kingdom	City and Guilds NPTC and Lantra	Qualification and unit details
Australia	training.gov.au	Qualification status, units, providers
New Zealand	NZQA qualification and provider search	Level, credits, accredited providers

Australia

The national register shows whether a qualification is current or superseded, lists its units and entry requirements, and has a tab to find the registered training organisations. Its organisation search filters by status, such as current, suspended or cancelled. A provider's registered training organisation number can be looked up on the national register search.

New Zealand

NZQA says to check that a provider is recognised by or registered with NZQA, and accredited to run the programme you are enrolling in. Universities, wananga and government training establishments do not need NZQA registration. Its guide to choosing a tertiary provider says so. NZQA also lists qualifications by level and credit value, and says one credit is 10 notional hours of learning. See checking a New Zealand qualification.

Canada

In British Columbia, SkilledTradesBC lists Arborist Technician, Climbing Arborist and Utility Arborist as separate programs, and says Arborist Technician must be taken before Climbing Arborist. See its Climbing Arborist page. In Quebec, the government page lists two required courses before the exam, one on manual felling health and safety and one on arboriculture work techniques. In Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario says in-school training can be block release, day release, part-time or alternative delivery, depending on the training delivery agency.

Refreshers and renewal

These are the official periods.

ISA Certified Arborist and Tree Climber: three years. Renewal is a retake or continuing education units plus a fee. Tree Climber renewal also needs current CPR, first aid and aerial rescue training.
Quebec arboriculture certificate: valid four years.
UK: the HSE says refresher training is recommended at set intervals for high-risk work such as chainsaws (HSE training page). Its leaflet INDG317, Chainsaws at work, suggests every two to three years for occasional users and every five years for full-time users. FISA guide 805 recommends recorded refresher training at least every five years.
Australia: SafeWork NSW says high risk work licences last five years and can be renewed up to 12 months after expiry. See the SafeWork NSW licence page.
Ontario: the Certificate of Qualification does not have to be renewed for this non-compulsory trade.

Questions for the trainer

Which certificate, unit number or qualification code do I receive, and who issues it?
Is the assessment in the price, and when is it? Is the assessor independent of the trainer?
What are the entry requirements, such as earlier certificates, first aid or minimum age?
What do I bring, and what does the centre supply?
How many learners per instructor?
What happens if I do not pass the first time? Is there a resit fee?
Is the provider on the official register for this exact qualification?
How long is the certificate valid, and what does renewal involve?
Will my employer's insurer or a client accept it?

The guide on certifications by country covers what a course may lead to.