BUSINESS
Learning with
The Wood Life
THE NEWLY SET UP VENTURE IS PROVING A HIT WITH STUDENTS WHO WILL FIND THEY BENEFIT FROM THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF TUITION IN A RELAXED AND FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE
D
evon-based Wood Life Training is a provider of short courses, which are increasingly the way to go for someone who wants to build a long and successful career in arboriculture. Founder Matt Bate has spent a long and varied career in arboriculture, including freelance instructing, and decided in 2021 “to bring it home” and set up his own business. This has proved a wise move as scores of positive views from students have since shown.
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The company, headquartered in Kenn, conducts training in charming old stone barns nestled near Exeter, close to Haldon Forest. Its courses focus on skill development, health and safety, as well as offering top quality courses to benefit its diverse student body. Making learning enjoyable As Bate says: “Most of us will probably have been on a course that was really dull. We wanted to provide high quality training, but we also want people to enjoy their learning
and so we ensure they enjoy being with us. It’s great when we get so much positive feedback.” Bate has a wealth of varied experience, with 30 years’ experience in arb and 20 years’ experience of training. Bate has delivered specialist training for the Fire Service USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams and the Royal Marine Commando Assault Engineers as well as training people from many different organisations including Natural England, the University of Exeter,
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