Manager and Supporter Training

Manager and Supporter training is for adult volunteers who hold an Assistant Group Scout Leader, Group Scout Leader, Assistant District Commissioner, Deputy District Commissioner, District Commissioner, Assistant Regional Commissioner, Deputy Regional Commissioner or Regional Commissioner role.

At the end of January 2017, a new training provision for Managers and Supporters in Scouting was introduced.

What does the scheme look like in practice?

The previous Manager/ Supporter modules have been replaced with more up to date resources, to better support our volunteers in these critical roles. The training scheme consists of:

• Getting Started - Essential Information, PLP and Tools for the Role (Managers and Supporters)

• Training for All Appointments - Fundamentals of Scouting, Changes in Scouting, Scouting for All, First Aid, Administration, Delivering a Quality Programme

• Managers and Supporters Training - This is structured around six core skill areas of leadership and management plus a module on safety. The learning opportunities for the Managers and Supporters Training is split into two elements:

• Independent Learning - There are a number of independent learning modules to support managers and supporters. If you need to complete any of the three manager and supporter skills modules it is important to complete the independent learning required for each of the modules before attending. The skills modules rely on an understanding of this independent learning as a foundation for the learning.

• Skills courses – this will consist of three courses (Skills of Management, Meeting the Challenges and Achieving Growth) where learners have an opportunity discuss and demonstrate different skills relating to leadership and management.

The Adult's Personal File for Managers and Supporters sets out what knowledge a Leader should have once completing each Module, along with what the validation criteria is for each Module.

Learning Opportunities

The majority of Modules within the Manager and Supporter training have several different ways to be able to complete the learning required.  Leaders can use the learning method that best suits them.

Core Skill Areas

Below is the Matrix of how the independent learning fits in with the Core Skills Areas and the Skills Courses.  Leaders do not need to go on the Skills Courses before going to validation, however it is advised that Leaders do the independent learning as a minimum unless otherwise agreed by your Training Adviser.

If a Leader does wish to go onto one of the Skills Courses they must insure that they have completed the independent learning for that Skills Course prior to attending, as a lot of the course work builds on the foundation that the independent learning provides.

Additional Modules

Some Manager and Supporter Roles require additional Modules as outlined below:

Validation during Lockdown

While we can continue to do our training from home, it is important that we get that training validated.  That might seem tricky while face-to-face Scouting is suspended, so we have come up with some ideas for validating training while we're restricted to online meetings. Check them out here.

Completing a Wood Badge

Once a Leader has completed and validated all of the Modules within their Personal Learning Plan, they can then be recommended for a Wood Badge by the Assistant Regional Commissioner (Adult Training) if they are eligible. 

A requirement of the Wood Badge being awarded is having all three of the Ongoing Mandatory Modules in date.  If an Ongoing Mandatory Module is out of date then a recommendation for a Wood Badge will not be given until the outstanding Module(s) are back in date.