Mandatory Training???

[GoldFox]

I think that mandatory training helps, especially with new leaders. Nothing is worse than someone trained years ago, running the program the way they learned, while the program has since changed. New leaders, trained properly on the current way the program is to run may be able to help ease these older or legacy leaders into these changes.

 

We have a lot of legacy leaders in our council. Very few, if any, see any reason to change the way they do things or get retrained - whether their existing way is working or not.

 

I think that requiring retraining may be just as important. It could be seen as a communication tool. Getting the information on how BSA has changed since you last took training can be very important. Yes, there is roundtable. However, I know a lot of leaders who come for the main session and then leave when the breakouts happen.

[Beavah]

Yah, let's see.

 

Just off da cuff, we have about a million registered adult leaders, eh? About 300 local councils. That means over 3000 people to be trained by each council. Say average adult turnover is 33% per year, every council needs to be able to train 1000 people a year. More if we accept GoldFox's notion that trainin' should expire and be repeated.

 

Anybody's council out there set up to train 1000 people a year in the basic core trainings?

 

Anybody willing to guess how effective trainin' is going to be when we cram that many people into sessions?

 

For that matter, is anybody really willing to claim that the core training sequence really succeeds in achieving leaders who deliver the promise? Do we really get excellent scoutmasters after a few hours of chalk talk and a day of IOLS? What do we really supposed da level of retention is? Or even the level of performance in a program that has no performance requirements?

 

Reality is just so good at pokin' holes in the "training" theory.

 

Beavah

 

[GoldFox]

Actually some of our districts are looking into using these legacy leaders as trainers. It does 2 things 1)increases the training staff pool and 2) exposes these older leaders to the current program.

 

I think that most councils instituting mandatory training are phasing it in so as not to have the massive numbers to be trained all at once.

[nldscout]

There is no council where they have mandated training that its working properly. When ours tried it a couple years ago they found out that they would have to lose 40% of the units. NO council is gong to do that. So for those that are untrained they just waive it for that year, hoping they fix it before recharter, then waive it again and again.

 

Unless a council is prepared to take a big hit on membership, its not going to work.

 

If your in one of the few councils that are trying to mandate training, ask how many waivers were granted in your council

[Branded Buffalo 5]

First off let me tell you that I have been trained as den leader, cubmaster, unit commissioner, youth protection, roundtable commissioner, day camp director, shooting sports instructor, woodbadge training, plus taking on-line courses in various aspects of scouting and attended various pow-wows and monthly roundtables.

I was also on our district training team until I got so busy with other aspect of scouting that I did not have the time to devote to the training committee. I am mentioning this just show that I am not against training for leaders as I think that all leaders should get trained for their respective positions. I do not think that training should be mandatory. I can see that this would turn a lot of adults away from volunteering their time. We need to find some way to encourage the adults to want to get trained. We took the training to the unit if there was a problem with getting the leaders to a district or council training session. After I got off the training team they went strictly to leaders coming to training instead of taking training to the units. They a looking at possibly going back to that as a possiblity.

[evmori]

Remember, Beavah, a lot of those leaders might already be trained. And not all of those leaders will stay around if training is mandatory so that lessens the number that require training.

 

I don't think training should guarantee anything except the people who attend & successfully complete the training will be ready to go back to their unit & do their job effectively & the way the BSA would like it to be done.

[HICO_Eagle]

The best way to encourage a desire for training is to demonstrate that said training will bring value to their work with the Scouts. Mandating it will just create resistance and antibodies -- especially with the adults who view it as redundant or who know about and disagree with many of the changes in the program in recent years.

[John-in-KC]

to HiCo...

 

Good luck selling that position to SE's and Council Exec Boards that are setting these policies. My gut says you'll get the "bedbug" response.

[OldGreyEagle]

www.usscouts.org/bbugle/bb0707.doc

 

The COuncil I serve has a Mandatory Training provision as doumented in the above link. You have to have committed Training Committees and avid responsible record keepers, but please, don't say it can't or won't or isn't happening cause it is in at least one council

[CMPA]

OGE: That is how I thought it worked. And it does work!

[Get Outdoors]

If 100% "Trained" becomes manditiory, I wonder how many new parents will be willing to volenteer when we tell them in addition to the one day for the basics and on-line stuff, one Sat. away from your family for leader specific, then take half day off from work fri. to be a camp for a full weekend of outdoor. Ummm just easier dropping the kid off.

 

I also wonder why all this training and not requiring ALL leaders to be First Aid/CPR certified.

 

 

 

 

[Eagle92]

GetOutdoors,

First Aid and CPR, or possibly Wilderness First Aid may become mandatory in the near future for units. This is already in effect for units goign to Philmont.

 

On the MyScouting.org site, it sounded in one thread as if WFA may be required for all units going camping. I beleive it was under the Health and Safety group discusions, but type in WFA for all the discussions on that topic.

[OldGreyEagle]

The WFA requirment is for one person to be certified, correct, or is it for everyone?

[emb021]

"The WFA requirment is for one person to be certified, correct, or is it for everyone?"

 

One person is all that is required.

 

 

[Eagle92]

OGE,

Correct, one person, preferably 2. Also if you do the Trek Safety and Climb On Safely online, you will note that they require WFA for treks and climbing activities. Forgot about that as another reason why I think WFA will be mandatory inthe very near future. I should have rememebered since I just did those two courses online last week.