There is an implicit requirement in the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations that providers must have evidence of the competence of their staff.
In our case the provider is Highland Council and their staff are teachers etc who are delivering adventurous activity sessions to individuals or groups for whom the Highland Council is responsible with reference to health and safety.
The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) provides the following conclusion in their document Collective Interpretation 5.11 – Lapsed Awards;
“6. Conclusion.
In order to fulfil the requirements of the licensing regulations regarding competence, each leader will need to have either;
a) A current nationally recognised award which has a reappraisal of competence as part of its revalidation.
or
b) A current nationally recognised award which does not have a reappraisal of competence as part of its revalidation, combined with evidence of relevant on-going experience, including seldom used rescue and emergency skills. It may be appropriate to refer to a Technical Advisor and/or an employer’s records.
or
c) A Statement of Competence (or equivalent) from an appropriately experienced and qualified Technical Advisor, based on some form of assessment. Any restrictions such as venue, time of year or duration of validity etc. should be clearly stated.
or
d) A lapsed national award plus evidence of on-going relevant experience, including seldom used rescue and emergency skills. It will generally be necessary for a Technical Advisor to verify (via a Statement of Competence) that the nature and extent of the on-going experience is appropriate.”
With regards to c) above, Highland Council’s Walking and Camping Accreditation course serves this purpose for leaders wishing to take groups walking in the summer through valleys on tracks, but not up hills and is valid for 5 years.
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Mountain Leader Training UK
Mountain Leader Training UK (MLTUK) provide the following guidance re continued experience and it should be noted that all MLT awards are logbook-based and are only valid when backed up by current logged experience.
Continued Experience
4.2 The Value of Continuing Experience
Whatever method is used to determine the leader’s competence it must be supported by current, relevant experience. All MLT awards are logbook-based and are only valid when backed up by current logged experience.
Leaders should ensure that they have appropriate experience for the people they are working with, for the terrain in which they are planning to operate and for the activities they plan to undertake. Striking the right balance between work experience and personal experience is the other critical factor; leaders are therefore urged to continue their personal development and expand their understanding of the irregular nature of the environment
in which they work.
5.8 Continuing Development
The award schemes are based on the principle of continuing development for each of its leaders. A logbook is provided to record experience before and after any assessment. Further training opportunities are available from providers and from MLT and the mountaineering councils. The awards are given primarily on the basis of technical and group management skills. These skills are verified at the time of assessment and continuing relevant experience is necessary to maintain them. Most of the awards have no formal re-validation process.
From the WGL Handbook
9 FURTHER EXPERIENCE
WGL award holders should continue to log personal and leadership experience and are encouraged to attend relevant courses. In order to ensure the validity of the award, WGL holders must keep their First Aid qualification up to date.
12 FURTHER EXPERIENCE
Award holders should follow the National Guidelines issued by MLTUK (see www.mltuk.org). In particular they should note that the award remains valid only where the holder is deployed within the remit of the award and the holder has recent logged experience appropriate to that award. The responsibility for ensuring that leaders receive refresher training must lie with the provider of the service or the individual, in the case of self-employed leaders.
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