Countryside Leader Award Training

Course Rationale

The Countryside Leader Award (CLA) is for adults who wish to lead walks and camping expeditions in non-remote, lowland countryside. This corresponds with the recommended DofE bronze and silver expedition terrain.
The award is designed for people who already have considerable experience working with young people.

To attend this course you must Register with the CLA here: Register
The minimum age for registration is 18.

Who Should Attend

• Be a Qualified Teacher or
• Be a Qualified Youth Worker or
• Have at least 10 days and 5 nights experience of leading, or assisting with the leadership of, walking and camping groups
• Personal experience of five nights camping and five days walking in the countryside, navigating on clear paths

A current First Aid certificate is required for this award to be valid. The First Aid course must be:

• Assessed and certificated
• Delivered by an HSE approved provider
• Minimum of 16 hours of instruction
• Specifically relevant to outdoor leadership
  

The same course is required for MLTUK qualifications such as the Single Pitch and Mountain Leader Awards.
You must bring a valid First Aid certificate with you to your assessment.

Course Content

The training course runs over 3 days, and includes a camping expedition. It assumes basic competence in country walking and camping.

Bringing together candidates with this knowledge will promote discussion and practice sharing. Candidates without basic competence are unlikely to absorb the information delivered on the course or to contribute to discussion, and so will be asked to leave the course.

A common format for the training course is:

• Intro Day (some classroom-based theory and some navigation)
• Camping weekend (this is a lightweight, self-sufficient expedition)

The priority is to cover skills specific to expedition leadership that might be difficult to learn outside a training course. Please bear in mind that the course cannot cover every aspect of every part of the syllabus. Candidates should ensure that they develop sufficient skill and knowledge before attending an assessment (and in general before leading expeditions).

Exemption.

Exemption from training will be granted to those with:

• ML training
• WGL training
• BEL2 or BEL3 assessment

There is no exemption from consolidation or assessment. Candidates going straight to assessment should ensure that they have experience of assisting with at least three camping expeditions.

Course Duration

Training courses are three days long, and usually take the form of an introduction day and a seperate two-day camping trip.

Assessment and Certification

At the end of your training course your tutor will give you a consolidation plan, which will outline areas on which to focus and the experience you need to gain before assessment.

The usual requirement is for candidates to assist with three lightweight camping expeditions, where assisting means active involvement in planning, training, supervision, and decision-making. If the Training Course Director feels a candidate is exceptionally strong they may reduce this to two or even one expedition.

For candidates with only the minimum prerequisites further experience may be required, along with other specific recommendations.

The consolidation plan gives minimum requirements. We strongly advise that you exceed them and continue to gain experience until you feel prepared for assessment. There is no time limit on the consolidation period, although there may be practical constraints due to availability of assessment dates, and this should be discussed with your Course Director.

Booking a Course

We can run in-house training at your venue for groups of any size.

You simply need a room large enough to not only seat everyone but also to allow them to lie on the floor and be rolled around without bumping into furniture or each other.