On 18th and 19th of May, the EFESC Standards Committee held a meeting at the IPC Groene Ruimte in Arnhem in the Netherlands. The main items on the agenda were:

• update of ECS4 and ECS4(S) and associated score sheets
• proposals for a theory test database and online applications
• verification procedures for assessors
• development of additional standards
• numerical scoring system
• validity of certificates

IPC Groene Ruimte’s simulator for wood under tension was used to test different setups to include in the ECS for training and examining crosscutting techniques using simulators.

Updated versions of ECS4 and simulations will become available on this website as soon as the review process has been completed.

The EFESC Standards Committee has recently revised European Chainsaw Standards 1, 2 and 3. The updated versions of the standards are now available on our download page. You will also find a version with highlighted changes to compare previous versions of the standards. ECS 4 will be revised during the coming months. Untill further notice, version 2012 will remain valid.

The Assessor Workshop last week was a great success, thanks to the contribution of 16 participants including 6 members of the Standards Committee. A ‘heavy’ agenda was completed each day under the determined direction of meeting chairman Roland Tromp, with positive results. Recommendations from the Standards Committee meeting in June were discussed, accepted in principle and ‘field tested’ in the forest with participants all taking the role of ‘assessor’ for ECC1 and 2.

Miquel Casas also very ably felled a larger tree that gave an insight into part of ECC 3. Score-sheets were used as the template to revise contents of the Standards, to remove anomalies. Also the score-sheets were developed to be more ‘user-friendly’, including a reduction of ‘critical points’ to ensure they were more realistic.

In addition, the EFESC Handbook was reviewed to remove errors and the Appendices containing Assessor Code of Practice was examined in detail and rationalised to be a fully working document.

The drafts from the workshop will be distributed to workshop participants and Standards committee to check that all are in agreement, then the papers will be submitted to the Secretariat by October 24th for inclusion in the agenda in Vienna, for ratification as appropriate by the General Assembly.

Thanks go to Tom Embo for agreeing to hold the workshop at Inverde, to Kris Hofkens and Filip Debleeckere for organising the excellent venue and felling site, all participants for their diligence, and Roland Tromp for pushing us all so hard!

Chris Hughes, chairman of the EFESC standards committee

EFESC is holding a Training Workshop for ECC Assessors in Brussels, Belgium

Venue:

inverde, Duboislaan 1b, 1560 Hoeilaart, Belgium (www.inverde.be/locatie)

Target groups:

assessors, trainers, ECC Standard Committee and representatives of National Agencies

Aim:

That participants will have a clear understanding of the ECC competence standards and how to assess the ECC ‘knowledge and skills’ sections using a range of assessment methods and support materials

Objectives of this training workshop:

• to inform the participants about the existing ECC standards and the criteria for successfully passing a test
• to inform about EFESC Assessor Codes of Practice and guidance
• to organize a discussion and an exchange of opinions on testing practices in the member countries
• to harmonize the testing procedures and the testing of candidates on a European level

Key points:

• to clarify the present ECC standards: criteria, learning objectives, support materials and level of importance (‘all moving in the same direction’)
• how to assess ‘knowledge’ sections with candidates: oral, written, computer-based or other assessment methodology format.
• how to assess ‘practical skills’ with candidates. What are the experiences of ECC assessors?
• what kind of assessment methodology format is used?
• to analyse the existing ECC support materials used e.g. score sheets

Programme:

• day 1 (Wednesday afternoon, October 1st): introduction to the ECC standards & assessment criteria
• day 2 (Thursday all day, October 2nd): practical assessments in the forest, delegates dinner evening
• day 3 (Friday morning, October 3rd): conclusions and recommendations

A detailed agenda can be found on www.inverde.be/ecc-assessor-workshop Please register by using the registration form on www.inverde.be/ecc-assessor-workshop If you register before July 20th, the registration fee is 100 euro. In case of registration after July 20th, the registration fee is 150 euro. For more information, contact Kris Hofkens: kris.hofkens@lne.vlaanderen.be

With the running accreditation of EFESC Italia the motor chainsaw standards of EFESC (European Forestry and Environmental Skills council are now accepted in 70% of the euro-zone countries.

The ECC Standards of EFESC prove that a chainsaw operator provides the skills which are necessary to operate a chainsaw safely and effectively. Based on this standard it is ensured that the same assessment standards are applied throughout Europe. This will considerably contribute to the mobility within Europe and even more to the safety in forest operations when workers can be employed who have proven their skills.

In a short ceremony at the last EFESC general meeting in Barcelona the chairman of EFESC Mr. Tom Embo handed over accreditation certificates to the new established EFESC national agencies in the Netherlands, France, Austria and Germany. The accreditation followed a strict set of criteria which have been thorougly defined and endorsed by the EFESC General Assembly. These criteria ensure that the NAs have the capacities to manage the EFESC processes on national levels, and that the organizations are well embedded in the national forestry and environmental training scene.

From now on these National Agencies are entitled to implement the certification processes on national level and issue the European Chainsaw Certificate. Together with the existing national EFESC agencies in Belgium and Spain EFESC Standards are now applied in the majority of the euro zone countries.

On 18.-20 June 2014 EFESC is planning a further training for assessors in Wales. For questions please contact the EFESC secretariat: Joachim Morat KWF; Joachim.Morat@kwf-online.de