News

Staff Qualifications

On 1st April 2002 the staff qualification requirements for walking activities changed, ensuring that adventure training activities are run by staff who have been assessed at the required level. This brings walking into line with climbing and canoeing/kayaking, which can only be run by staff who hold the correct level of qualification from the appropriate National Governing Board (NGB)

For walking, the relevant qualifications are Mountain Leader (ML), Walking Group Leader (WGL) and Basic Expedition Leader Award (BELA). In practice, the most useful qualification for the activities run by the group is ML, and we are fortunate to have 4 instructors in the Wing who have completed assessment for the ML(Summer). Several more have completed the ML(S) training course, and it is hoped that most of them will put themselves forward for assessment as soon as they have gained sufficient experience

While the group continues to organise activities in wild country, a key role is the training of Squadron staff, whether it is to help them towards their ML qualification, or to equip them to plan and organise adventure training in less demanding terrain. To this end, the group has been working for some time towards setting up a BELA training scheme within the Wing, and we expect to run the first course during the Autumn of 2004. An  information pack is currently being prepared; details will be posted on this site by the end of June, as well as being distributed to all units