RPL for Certificate III in Arboriculture

Certificate III in Arboriculture takes 18 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for AHC30824 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 18 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you AHC30824. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what AHC30824 involves →

The 18 units you complete, chosen from these 41

You do not do all 41. Certificate III in Arboriculture is 9 core units, which everyone does, plus 9 chosen from the 32 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Worth knowing: 5 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• AHCARB213 — Perform ground-based rigging
• AHCARB314 — Implement a tree maintenance program
• AHCARB315 — Inspect trees for access and work
• AHCARB316 — Perform pruning operations
• AHCARB323 — Identify trees
• FWPCOT2254 — Maintain chainsaws
• FWPCOT2273 — Trim and cut felled trees
• FWPCOT3350 — Fell trees manually (intermediate)
• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid

Electives — you choose from these

• AHCARB212 — Operate and maintain stump grinding machines
• AHCARB317 — Dismantle trees
• AHCARB318 — Undertake aerial rescue
• AHCARB319 — Use arborist climbing techniques
• AHCARB320 — Install tree support systems
• AHCARB321 — Implement a tree protection program
• AHCARB322 — Access trees for inspection
• AHCARB324 — Use cranes to access and dismantle trees
• AHCARB325 — Manage trees to create and maintain habitat refuges
• AHCARB406 — Verify pruning specifications
• AHCARB407 — Supervise and audit tree operations
• AHCARB408 — Perform a ground-based tree defect evaluation
• AHCARB409 — Conduct a safety audit
• AHCBIO303 — Apply biosecurity measures
• AHCCHM304 — Transport and store chemicals
• AHCCHM307 — Prepare and apply chemicals to control pest, weeds and diseases
• AHCECR202 — Maintain wildlife habitat refuges
• AHCFAU202 — Recognise fauna
• AHCLPW312 — Carry out inspection of designated area
• AHCPMG301 — Control weeds
• AHCPMG302 — Control plant pests, diseases and disorders
• AHCWRK317 — Coordinate work site activities
• CPCCDO3011 — Perform dogging
• FWPCOT3301 — Trim trees using a pole saw
• FWPCOT3351 — Fell trees manually (advanced)
• FWPHAR2208 — Operate a mobile chipper/mulcher
• RIIWHS204E — Work safely at heights
• RIIWHS205E — Control traffic with stop-slow bat
• TLILIC0005 — Licence to operate a boom-type elevating work platform (boom length 11 metres or more)
• UETDREL006 — Work safely in the vicinity of live electrical apparatus as a non-electrical worker
• UETDRMP004 — Perform elevated work platform controlled descent escape
• UETDRMP005 — Perform elevated work platform rescue

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Certificate III in Agriculture (AHC30122, 16 units)
• Certificate III in Dairy Production (AHC30224, 17 units)
• Certificate III in Pork Production (AHC30422, 16 units)
• Certificate III in Poultry Production (AHC30522, 16 units)
• Certificate III in Production Horticulture (AHC30624, 15 units)
• Certificate III in Rural and Environmental Pest Management (AHC30324, 14 units)

More RPL in agriculture, horticulture and conservation

Every qualification in this industry, which of them have a guide ready, and what assessors here accept as evidence: RPL in agriculture, horticulture and conservation.

When you are ready, see what AHC30824 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.