Leader Specific Online

[Scouting4Ever]

I thought I remember being told that Leaders Specific will be online towards the end of June 2010. I might also be going crazy! Can anyone shine some light on this topic? Will it be going online?

[UCEagle72]

According to the conference calls that were held, Cub position specific was to be online 6/21. Of course, it is not there yet, and the monthly Training Update page - http://scouting.org/training/trainingupdates.aspx - still says "May 2010".

 

Guess we closed down for summer camp and jambo.

 

[Scouting4Ever]

Thank you.

[moosetracker]

Not very good with deadlines, huh?

 

Let's hope they get their act together before they expect leaders to implement them.

[gaucho]

There is a section under the Cubs Scouting tab that says position specific, but no modules in it yet.

[jhankins]

We were told tonight at our Council Coordinated Meeting for Training that August/September is the time frame for online specific training.

[Eagle92]

I hate to say this but national doesn't seem to be very good with deadlines lately.

 

They publish an Insignia Guide for the new uniform 7-8 months AFTER the uniform came out AND still have not updated the online version of the IG over a year after the print version came out.

 

Instead of introducing a new Venturing uniform as a complete set, they intro it piecemeal. And usually when National makes a uniform change, it's in August at the start of the school year, not in the middle and end of the school years as they did thithe pants and shirts respectively.

 

They have major problems getting CS rank and belt loops out in time for the "Blue and Gold Rush" causing lots of ticked off parents and leaders.

 

They didn't give out the "Official" requirements for the 4 historic MBs until April, allowing scouts to officially have only 9 months to earn these MBs instead of 12 months.

 

And they don't have the new scout socks in time for folks to buy extra pairs for summer camp and Jamboree.

[SMEagle819]

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

So, what happens if we miss the recharted date? Or, don't have everyone trained in YP before recharter? Troop, pack or crew does not get rechartered, and numbers decrease... oops wrong post.

 

End the end, it is us, the "end user" who suffers from missed deadlines by National, and if we miss one, again, we suffer.

[moosetracker]

SMEagle819 - You were kindof appropriate for this post if you alter YPT to cub scout specific.

 

Hopefully they will get the specifics training for the new cub scout program set up before the end of the year. Those prototype districts that this year need their top leaders fully trained for this December's rechartered date might have problems..

 

"Sorry.. Can't register you, you don't have the new specifics training."..

 

"But, they haven't released it yet! I couldn't take it!"

 

"Not my problem. You can't register without it..... NEXT !!!"..

[moosetracker]

On the other matter of YPT. That is on-line. There should be no problem for everyone to have the ability to get trained before recharted date. Now WILL everyone do it, that is the question..

 

Make sure you get your key people to take YPT.. The absentee COR is my biggest conceren with this. Your main unit leaders should be able to take 20-30 minutes off sometime in the next 6 months to log in & get trained, compared to everything else they do for the unit, this should be a small inconvience.

 

Get the adult leaders you need to register the unit COR, CC, SM or CM, 3 committee members. After that who do not get YPT will individually not be registered. But, that will not keep your unit from getting reregistered. Your unit will just register with a smaller number of Adult leaders..

 

Unless your unit is at bare minimum of Adult leaders in order to register, the unit can be reregistered if not ALL currently registered leaders get YPT training.

 

YPT is not a hard training to take now. The only problem you should have are those people who refuse on some misguided principle.. (Why do you want a unit that is not 100% about the saftey of the youth it is responsible for?) And the computer challenged. For those people see if anyone in the unit has a laptop which can connect to the internet remotely, and walk them through the process of registering on-line.. Once they register, log in once or twice, they should have no problem doing so at home.. For those with no internet at home, let them take YPT on the laptop under their registration info.

 

No one in unit with laptop with remote access? Meet at a library..

 

If the remote laptop will not have a printer. in Internet explorer.. top right corner right after the printer icon is a dropdown called "Page".. Bring up the complete certificate. then under "Page" choose "Send page by email".. Email the page to someone who has a printer and will print the certificate for you.

 

I know our district will be offering some course style YPT, but National prefers the on-line if possible.

 

There are ways your unit can work with the computer challanged. There is nothing you can do about the person who refuses and just gives lame excuses.. If they can't find 20 minutes for YPT, how much time did the give to the unit at all?

 

[BadenP]

I think that online training for a basic subject like YPT is fine, however replacing a five hour specific training with an online version and for no other reason than to make it easier for the leader who is "too busy" and to make it easier to get the charter through is pathetic at best and a disservice to the youth these adults have agreed to lead.

 

I agree with those who say if a leader does not want to take the time to get fully trained for their position then you really don't want them in the first place. The main reason units fail is because of a POOR program and the cause of that are undertrained or untrained adult leadership. The other reason is that some units are so desperate to fill adult positions they will put in any warm body, many of whom give the minimal service and effort to that position. The computer training may be easier time wise and give you greater numbers of "trained" leaders, but the quality of training will not and never will be there. These computer trained leaders may be able to pull off cub scouting, barely, but as far as boy scouting and venturing programs are concerned it is a receipe for trouble and potential disaster.

[moosetracker]

I could not agree with you more BP..

 

YPT, Hazardous Weather, fast start, even "Troop Committee Challenge" (cause that wasn't very good to begin with course or on-line), a few other quick ones Yes.. Your main course.. No..

 

When they started hinting at the specifics on-line, we were told it would not affect our normal specific training at all (made it sound like a fast start to specifics, which to get you up & running until a class was offered made sense..)..

 

Then came the news that it would be the same credit to take on-line or class..

 

Then came National putting out the YPT mandate with a Q&A stating they think you are better trained with on-line then in a course and a list of why they prefer on-line over course lead.. Which may have been in a memo specific for YPT, but their reasoning was not.

 

Now I am learning that things like course lead Committee Challenge and New Leaders Essential, have been killed to the point if you change position they will not follow you, you have to retake the on-line..

 

National is forcing us to accept their way.. Right or Wrong. Unless specifics is a 3 or 4 hour on-line course rather then a cutsie 30 minute romp, the volunteers will loose alot.. Even more then the ability to ask questions for your specific issues, or to comprehend a point.

 

Having just taken over training for our district, and knowing our past history, and others issues I do have to admit, they never did orchestrate a good way for us to make sure those who took our courses, got into the system with the credit they deserve.. There were too many hands in the passing of the info from A to B to C to D.. and predecessors either did not keep copies, or did not pass the copies onto their successors.. That is one thing the web courses do have over personal course. Consistant and accurate logging of courses taken.. But, how much was volunteers (being untrained, and the revolving door) and how much was poor quality software.. Both for sure..

[jhankins]

I threw out an idea to my council committee on training, and they seemed to like it.

 

All first time leaders for any training will take it in person. this will get them the networking experience, get their questions answered in person, and to provide one on one support. After that, for position changes and refreshers, we'll encourage online training.

 

That being said, we can't make them take it in person, but we'll certainly suggest it.

 

I had a long talk tonight with our registrar. She's of the opinion approving all the new requirements and paperwork is a nightmare, and for now, they only want to see a copy of the YP card (there's no room in the file cabinets for more paper), and for the required training -- well, they have no clue on what to do.

[moosetracker]

Do they get any paperwork if taken on-line?

 

Our council also wants you to copy and attach the YPT card to every registration you do. Doesn't matter if your new, or have an id and 3 other positions.. Easier for them that way then having to look you up in the system. I would suspect though that will make for MORE paper to file. Not sure what they will be requesting during recharter time. It would be a pain in the behind for units to ask all their registered adults to produce copies of YPT at recharter time. Kinda kills the ease of now rechartering on-line. We will be back to long lines lots of confusion (and anger) on recharter day.

 

I like your idea JH.. I might try it here, my trainers want me to discourage the on-line, but I see standing in the way of District as just a way of being rolled over by progress, rather then moving with it. At least suggesting this will make them happy, but I have got to find ways for them to embrace the idea of doing supplemental training. I also need to beef up the training staff (which they don't want me to do as they see their jobs already shrinking.).. But, I am sweating having enough people to staff our fall courses as everyone seems too busy and it is a short list. I also think for supplemental training you would burn a small staff out, sending them from troop to troop. I though do not want to be someone who walks in and upsets their idea world and have them not willing to work with me.

As for our course training I am lucky to find that our council required our Registrar to keep 3 years back of what our district gave him for course training. Our council had a 3 way system for that paperwork to make sure it was not permenantly lost as it was about 5 years back. Problem was it was not followed by our district. Did not have Training Chair for district for about 3 years DCC did it while absent. Copy to Council Training Chair never sent, DCC did not know. DCC lost copy he was to keep. Registrar though has 3 years back. But since it is needed to find out what he is missing, this is working backwards. What he has will determine what he has missing. Then it's a matter of tracking down that info.. I am told I will have info from on-line registration of courses.. But no-shows and walk-ins will still make that inaccurate. Anyway, without the registrars paperwork, we would be totally in the dark. still will be for the two years between the other cleanup and what paperwork the registrar has.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UCEagle72]

Moosetracker:

Do they get any paperwork if taken on-line?

 

Thus far, all online courses have provided "certificates" (aka training cards) - and I would expect that trend would continue with any new online training.

 

If you have not checked out the new "Training Validation" module in MyScouting (it worked with IE8, but not FF or Chrome) it was interesting to look at my own record and realize that only one of the five "in person" training classes I have taken or re-taken this year were on my record -- but all of the online were there.

 

(So yes, I sent copies of my certificates off to have my records updated -- sad part is, one of the courses is the primary course I need to be considered "trained.")