EVERYONE has heard of the Open University but two Hampshire students have just graduated from what they call the Open Air University.
Dan Taplin, pictured left, and Phil Stride, right, have spent the past two years learning all the skills required by Forestry Commission workers in the New Forest. Now they can tear up their L-plates after graduating from the New Forest Apprenticeship Scheme.
Dan, 19, of Marchwood, said: "The scheme has set us up for life. The course included six months of part-time tuition at Sparsholt College, near Winchester, which will give us an NVQII qualification in forestry.
"As well as gaining essential certificates in things such as chainsaw work, tractor driving and spraying. We've learned so many things you'd never find in any book."
Phil, 21, of Bolderwood, said: "Experienced craftspeople in the Forest have knowledge and skills that have been passed down for hundreds of years from generation to generation. They have a deep understanding of the Forest, its ways and wildlife. Learning from them has been a privilege."
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