As adults in Scouting, whatever our role, we all have the responsibility of helping young people to grow and develop socially, spiritually, intellectually and physically. This unique role we have in young people’s lives is both a challenging and rewarding task. To support you as an adult in Scouting, The Scout Association provides training that builds upon your existing skills, knowledge and experience. The training you will receive is intended to give you additional skills and knowledge to ensure that you carry out your role to the best of your ability. The Scout Association also seeks to offer development opportunities for adults and training is just one means by which personal development needs can be met.

I wish you well with your training and hope that you enjoy being part of the Scout Movement.

Yours in Scouting,

Scott Wilderspin

District Commissioner

The range of skills The Scout Association expects of people in different roles are described in a number of modules, which together make up the Adult Training Scheme. There are 37 modules in total and different roles require a different selection of modules to be completed.

The modules that you have to do will be defined by your role description as agreed with your line manager. Normally this will be your Group Scout Leader (GSL), District Commissioner (DC), or County Commissioner (CC). In the case of Explorer Scouts and the Scout Network, this will be the District Explorer Scout Commissioner (DESC) or County Scout Network

Commissioner (CSNC).

When you take on a role in Scouting, you will go through an appointment process to ensure that you understand the requirements for, and are suited to, your chosen role. There are two stages of Appointment: Provisional and full. When the relevant checks have been made, you will be issued with a Provisional Appointment and will then have five months in which to complete your Getting Started training after which you will receive a Full Appointment. You will then have 3 years to complete the reminder of your Training and earn a Wood Badge.

Getting Started is made up of the following modules, which need to be completed before you can be issued with a full Appointment.

• Module 1, Essential Information

• Module 2, Personal Learning Plan

• Module 3 or 4, Tools for the Job.

These requirements can be completed in any order, and are aimed at introducing you to your new role and giving you the basic information and skills needed to get started in your role.

This is the basic information that all adults in Scouting need to know. It briefly covers the Fundamentals of Scouting, the key policies of The Scout Association and the support available to adults in Scouting.It is important that you receive this training as early as possible.

This module consists of creating a plan to meet the training requirements of your role, taking your existing knowledge and skills into account. Although the parts of Getting Started can be completed in any order, you may find it helpful to complete the Personal Learning Plan as the first step, particularly if you are changing roles. The advantages of this are that you will have a clear idea of the process from the outset and you will be able to get advice from a Training Adviser at an early stage on how to go about completing your training requirements.

There are two Tools for the Job modules. You will need to complete either the version for Section Leaders or managers depending on your role.

• Module 3, Tools for the Job (Section Leaders)

This contains some basic information about the role and practical help for working within a Section. The module covers the key features of the Section and how to run suitable games and activities.

• Module 4, Tools for the Job (Managers)

This contains some basic information on the key responsibilities of the role and some practical help for making a start. The module covers the principle duties of the role, the needs of adults, and policy and guidance mechanisms.

The dates for Getting Started courses can be found on the Training Dates Page.

If for any reason you are unable to complete Getting Started within the five month timescale, your line manager will be informed and will review the situation with you. They will then decide whether or not to extend your Provisional Appointment for another five months. A Provisional Appointment can only be extended once.

Training Advisers are there to support and guide you through the Adult Training Scheme. You will meet some of the Training Advisers during your “Getting Started” course or at the first time you go to an “Open Training Meeting”,where they will explain the scheme fully. A Training Adviser's role is to help you identify which of the modules you need to complete for your role and then decide with you, whether you need to complete any training for them. From then on you will receive ongoing support from one or more Training Advisers, who will review your progress and ensure that you can put the learning from each module into practice. This process is called validation. They will advise of the next steps you need to take and also arrange to meet up with on a future date to check on your progress and answer any questions you may have. Most Adults going through the Adult Training Scheme meet with a Training Adviser at the bi-monthly “Open Training Meetings”. This is where there will be a team of Training Advisers ready to help any new adults. All the dates for these can be found on the Training Dates Page.

A Personal Learning Plan is an agreed record of planned learning for your role. The plan is constructed by firstly identifying which of the modules in the Module Matrix are relevant to your role based on your job description, and secondly by answering a series of short questions about each of the modules identified. This establishes which modules they will require training for. The Personal Learning Plan should detail:

• which modules training is required for
• which method of learning is planned to be used
• how each module is going to be validated
• the target timescales for the above
• the date of the next review meeting

For most modules there are a variety of delivery methods (with the exception of First Aid, Changes in Scouting and Nights Away). These include Courses, eLearning, DVD, Workbooks, Small Groups, 1 to 1 Training, However not all Modules can be delivered by all the methods! Adults, in consultation with their Training Adviser, should identify the most appropriate methods for the modules they need to complete. Factors that should be taken into account include the personal circumstances of the participant, their preferred learning style and the opportunities available locally

The Scout Association’s Adult Training Scheme recognises prior learning. As such if you already have the necessary skills and abilities, there is no need to do any training or learning to complete your modules. You do however, either as a result of some learning or your current skills, need to demonstrate that you can do what you claim. As part of the planning process you will need to agree with a Training Adviser how you will validate each module. In summary each Module comes on two parts; the “learning” and the “validation”. Validation can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including; demonstration, discussion, workbooks, worksheets, questionnaires, product of work, project work, written material, witness testimony and video.Plus anything else that you and your Training Adviser agree to. As a general rule you should not need to do anything on top of what you normally do in Scouting to complete the validation. The different aspects of your role, running meetings, devising programmes,leading and managing others will show your abilities and knowledge.

The recommendation for award of the Wood Badge may only be made once satisfactory validation of all modules in the Personal Learning Plan has been completed. The Local Training Manager will send the completed PLP to the County Training Manager who will then approve it before recommending the award of a Wood Badge to Headquarters. Headquarters is responsible for awarding Wood Badges and will forward the Wood Badge and certificate to the District Commissioner for presentation.

Following completion of the Wood Badge, all adults in Scouting must undertake an average of at least five hours ongoing learning each year. Ongoing learning may take a number of forms. In essence any training, learning or development completed by the adult that is subsequently incorporated into their Scouting role is deemed appropriate. The maintenance of a current adults First Aid qualifications/First Response certificate could be included as part of the ongoing learning requirement. Occasionally, Headquarters may specify particular ongoing learning topics for some or all Appointments. It is likely that this will occur only in the case of major policy or legal changes. In these cases, HQ will make training material and support documentation available.

It is possible to work towards an external award offered by the Open College Network at the same time as completing The Scout Association’s Adult Training Scheme. The Awards available are ‘Providing Voluntary Youth Services’ for Section Leaders and ‘Managing Voluntary Youth Services’ for managers and Supporters. There is much benefit in gaining an Open College Network Award, particularly if you wish to demonstrate to someone outside Scouting (such as an employer) the skills and knowledge that you have gained. The learning required for the award is exactly the same as the module material. They key differences are that to obtain the award you will have to show clearly that you can meet all the requirements of the module. The assessment and validation will be to a higher standard and you will have to collect and document your validation ‘evidence’ more fully. If you think this is something you might like to do, you need to discuss it with a Training Adviser who will be able to provide you with more information. It is helpful to decide to work for the award during the construction of your Personal Learning Plan, although evidence of work can be backdated for up to two years.