Change 2: A more engaging learning experience

 

Image
Learning

We’re moving to a more engaging learning experience and you’re going to love it!

It’s been 20 years since our current modular adult training scheme was introduced and it’s now time to replace it with a more relevant and enriched learning experience for all our volunteers.

The journey to our new learning experience has started, and we are now moving in to the first stage (of three stages), that will transition us to our new learning and development requirements and opportunities.

The new national programme of learning will use new digital tools to make learning more accessible, personalised, and relevant to you and every volunteer. The new scheme will also reduce and remove much of the administration work of manually recording and validating learning. It will be inclusive, accessible, relevant, and focused on the skills and knowledge you need to deliver or support great experiences to young people. 

Image
Why we are changing learning

Here's the low down…

Learning will be broadly split into growing roots, and branching out. Growing roots learning, is the mandatory learning that all volunteers need to complete and branching out, is where you will have the option to continue your learning and complete your Wood Badge

The Wood Badge will be structured as a programme of learning personalised to you. It will be focused on being engaging, relevant and something you’ll want to do. Branching out and continuing your learning and gaining your Wood Badge will be open to everyone that has a role in Scouts. (We will provide lots more information over the coming months!)

National research showed very clearly that most volunteers don’t find the current training scheme lives up to what they need and is not meeting the needs and requirements of our ever-changing Scout movement.

The impact on you
The new way of working will affect:

  • everyone who hasn’t yet completed all their modules 
  • everyone’s ongoing learning requirements  
  • all adults who haven’t yet completed their Wood Badge 
  • all new volunteers 

We know that sometimes there might be some confusion and hesitance about doing things differently, but over the coming months we will provide lots of guidance and support to help you get there.

What we know you will really like…

  • Learning that’s useful and easy to do, and doesn’t take up huge chunks of your time 
  • Learning will be relevant to your role in Scouts 
  • There will be simpler requirements and less/easier manual validation  
  • Learning will be more accessible and inclusive 
  • No special knowledge will be required, and, if you need them, there will be tools to help you increase your digital confidence
  • All the learning content will work equally well on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones (if you do not have access to any of those devices, alternatives will still be possible)

This will mean your learning will be:

  • personalised, relevant, enjoyable, engaging, accessible, inclusive, bite-sized and available when you need it
  • digital first, not digital only 

What will stay the same 

  • We will continue to offer you learning opportunities that will be relevant to your role
  • There will still be a requirement for everyone that holds a role in scouting to complete mandatory ‘core’ learning
  • There will still be a requirement to renew safeguarding and safety learning
  • We’ll still be doing and delivering many of our modules and Manager and Supporter training for the next few years. Those will be gradually replaced with new content during 2023 and 2024. 
Image
The Learning Tree

Click the image below to visit the interactive Learning Tree...

Image
The learning tree

Growing Roots learning

New volunteers will have six months to complete their Growing roots learning. Almost all new volunteers will need to do this learning.

Growing Roots learning has five parts:

Four parts the everyone needs to complete:

  • Who we are and what we do
  • Creating inclusion
  • Data protection
  • Safe scouting
Image
Growing Roots – the learning everyone needs

And then for:

  • Section team members and programme facing roles: Delivering a Great Programme
  • For everyone that is a member of a trustee board: Being a Trustee in Scouts
  • For team leaders and lead volunteers: Leading Scout Volunteers
Image
Growing Roots – the learning some people need

Branching out learning

Branching out, Wood Badge, learning will be structured as a programme of learning personalised to you -by you. It will be focused on being engaging, relevant and something you’ll want to do. Branching out and continuing your learning to gain your Wood Badge will be open to everyone that has a role in Scouts. We will provide lots more information on our web pages as it becomes available over the coming months!

The learning and development opportunities available range from skills-based training such as first aid, risk assessment, safeguarding and public relations through to experience in leadership, management, communication, organisation, safeguarding, executive training and experience of working with young people. 

Examples of branching out learning topic areas...

Image
click here to download our learning guide
Image
our 4 steps to a successful change...

Understand...

Watch the videos on this page and ensure you understand what is changing and the moved to the new learning framework and roll out time line. 

Plan...

  • Understand what stage in their current training each of your team are at
     
  • Encourage those close to finishing their wood badge to complete their learning and validation by the end of 2023
     
  • Encourage your current Section Assistants to complete all of our current Section Team Member's Getting Started Learning (as this will mean that they will not need to complete Growing Roots learning when it launches in February 2024  

Deliver...

Keep going...

Our new learning framework will go live early in February 2024. 

 

And there's more...