Creating a Training Culture?

[sherminator505 10]

Recently there has been a lot coming from National about "creating a training culture." What would such a training culture look like, and how would you go about getting there?

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Comming from a Council that has had Manditory trainging requirements for about 5 years now, a Training Cultire is one in which the CO's expect contact leaders and Unit Chairs to be trained, and the COuncil has Disitrcts Cordinate so that most trainig is never more than 2 months in the future

[BrentAllen 10]

For us, a training culture just means everyone goes thru training as a normal part of the process of becoming a leader in the unit. There isn't any "should I go to training?" It is "when is the next course offered." Once attending training becomes standard operating procedures, those who join the unit in the future will follow the footsteps.

 

The next level of "training culture" would be getting leaders to attend advanced training (Wood Badge, Powder Horn, Wilderness First Aid) as standard operating procedures.

 

How to establish a training culture? It has to come from the top, the SM and CC. If they are fully trained and believe in the benefit of training, they can grow the culture. It might take some pushing and gentle twisting of arms at first, maybe along with some financial assistance (if required). Recognize the leaders who attend the training and thank them on behalf of the Troop for the time they devoted to the course, all in the effort to help improve the program for the youth.

 

We require all adults who go camping with us to be currently trained in YP and Weather Hazards. If we are swimming or boating, they must also be currently trained in Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat. To be an ASM, they have to go thru the full Boy Scout Leader Training program. This also helps build a training culture.

[Beavah 205]

Nah, I don't think it's about requirements.

 

"Culture" means it's about da community's unwritten expectations, eh? Kinda along the lines of what BrentAllen describes.

 

It's adults who say, "Hey, I wish I knew a bit more about..." and then go out and find out more. They decide to take a WFA course, and invite other adults along, and come back and talk about it and use it and let other adults see how it affects the kids so that they want to do it, too.

 

B

 

[AlFansome 10]

 

The interesting thing is if you replace "training" with "uniforming", the exact same comments apply.

 

It's all about modeling the preferred behavior, leadership in executing the vision, and an understanding of the benefits of training (and uniforming, too).

 

 

[shortridge 184]

Convenience has to be a major part of it. There should be multiple chances during a year to take a given course. Wood Badge may be the exception because of the time involved.

 

Communication is another key element. Publishing training schedules well in advance - like a year or even two before - are essential for folks who may have to request time off work to attend. Included in that is explicitly communicating expectations and requirements, particularly for new leaders who may not be fully up to speed. (e.g.: I just read a promo for an IOLS course that said "Bring personal gear," with no other details. Does that include a tent or not?)

[Oak Tree 15]

I think that one thing is you have to be consistent about it. The more experienced leaders model the training, and reinforce the message. The committee tracks training on a regular basis. The council course schedule is sent out periodically. You increase your training goals on your quality unit form. People come back and talk about the classes they took. You recognize at a court of honor the leaders who got trained in the last quarter. The leaders who are trained wear the Trained strip. The unit has a unit trainer who tracks and records all of the data in Troopmaster. Once you get to the point where you have 100% of (some set of leaders) trained, you celebrate it, and make sure the new people to that group know about it. Etc.

 

It can't just be that once a year an email is sent to all the leaders telling them to get trained. It's something much more ingrained into the behavior of the adults.

 

[trainerlady 10]

To me a training culture needs two parts. Part one is the access to all the trainings one would want or need to take. Most areas around me do a good job of this part. It's well taught, accessible and offered several times a year throughout the region (it's nice to be in one of the largest urban councils in the country - no more than 75 miles to any district/council training under the sun).

 

Part two is the dissemenation of the materials received at training to others in the unit, distrcit or council. This is where I see the breakdown. Many people don't want to hear that what they've done for years is going to change or should change to meet the times. Cub Scouts 2010 is a prime example in my area right now.

 

The trainers are screaming that it'll take the families out of cubs and cubs will collapse. They've all been in cubs and cub training for 30+ years, some have grandsons that left the program 10 years ago. They are out of touch with the way today's parents parent and what it is like to have 2 working parents. Instead of learning about the program and finding out why it's coming online they are fighting it.

 

Until everyone involved can accept change, and follow through on the changes, all the training in the world won't do a darn thing.

 

 

[gwd-scouter 11]

A couple of our new ASMs just did the New Leader Essentials training and were told that training would become mandatory. The trainer said it came from National, but I am wondering if it's just our Council's attempt to correct our rather poor training record.

 

Wherever the mandate is coming from, in our troop the expectation is set up front that any new leader must be trained for his/her position. It has certainly become a lot easier with all the online trainings offered now. Interestingly, one of our new ASMs, now fully trained, was talking with another of our new leaders who signed up as an ASM. He was asking if that leader had planned to take the ASM trainings (indoor and outdoor). If not, he suggested he change his registration to Troop Committee and take the online trainings for that. Seems our new ASM is interested in ensuring that we show 100% adult training on our recharter.

 

I thought it was rather amusing that another of our new ASMs, just after crossing over from Webelos last spring, asked if it was OK to wear his ASM patch if he hadn't been fully trained yet.

 

We do require any adult, whether ASM or Committee, that has direct involvement with the Scouts to take the Youth Protection training.

[GKlose 24]

To my knowledge (and from a district committee meeting two nights ago), mandatory training is being piloted in some 20 councils around the country right now, including in the council to our immediate south, Boston Minuteman. Our training chair, I think, said that it would be rolled out to the entire country by 2011 for unit leaders, and to all direct contact leaders the year after that. I didn't really pay much attention to the details because in our unit we already have all direct-contact leaders fully-trained.

 

I couldn't really answer what a training culture is, but I can answer what it isn't...after I first registered as an adult, I thought it would make sense to get training. About that same time, new online courses were rolling out, so I did most of those within a month (sitting at my desk, on my lunch hour). The next step, of course, was leader position-specific training, and I went looking on the council website. Nothing!

 

I asked around, and I found that another district was doing something they called the "training triad" (New Leader Essentials, LPST and OLS) all in one weekend. So I signed up for it. About a week before it was to start, my first spring, I sent email to the organizer because I hadn't heard anything. "Oh, we had to cancel that...not enough people signed up."

 

So I had to wait for fall, for the same "training triad" weekend. Nothing else was scheduled before then.

 

I had wanted to get training while I had momentum. But I had to cool my jets. I don't know whether that was good or bad, but it certainly felt deflating.

 

I've since learned to check the neighboring councils -- but I didn't know that back then.

 

Guy

[AlFansome 10]

From http://www.scouting.org/Training/TrainingUpdates.aspx:

 

"Twenty councils will pilot required training for top leaders in 2010. Top leaders are Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Coaches, Venturing crew Advisors, and Sea Scout Skippers. Plans are to require training for all top leaders in 2011, and all direct-contact leaders in 2012. Direct-contact leaders include all assistant leaders and den leaders. Council training teams should begin to update training records by conducting training inventories of all leaders and begin preparing to make training more readily available. "

 

 

What our Council is telling us is that this means that your CM, SM, etc. must be fully trained (including IOLS for SM) as of the charter in effect on 1/1/2011. All DLs, ADLs, ASMs, etc. must be fully trained by the 1/1/2012 charter start date.

 

 

 

 

[dewASM 10]

I am in a pilot council and we have been told that all of people must have required training by the end of next year or our charter will be suspended.

 

I have everything done but the Outdoor Program BUT that is only offered one weekend a year- in June. I find it difficult to understand the idea of a "training culture" if you don't offer training frequently and when it is convenient for the volunteers. I became a SM in June but couldn't make Outdoor Training because it was the same weekend as my son's induction into National Junior Honor Society. At the time I bemoaned the June weekend because of the many conflicts in June for all of us graduation, academic banquets, athletic banquets, helping with end of school stuff and finals not to mention my busiest time of the year at work. My SE said yeah they knew it was a tough time so they were thinking of doing one in Sept. I said do it in Sept and I'll be the first to sign up. So I called in August and inquired. No Sept class - wait for June.

 

We are a new troop with young Scouts. So now I call district and want to send a few boys to NYLT. I am told they are not offering it all this year. So I ask for other options. They were to let me know if it was available at neighboring councils. No word yet.

 

So we are pilot council for mandated training that doesn't offer training???????

 

It all makes me think that this is not about creating a 'training culture' but about CYA. Training isn't promoted, conducted, or valued it is just mandated so that if anything goes wrong the BSA can say well we trained them it isn't our fault if they messed up.

 

 

[HICO_Eagle 93]

The first thing you need to do to create a "training culture" is make the training worthwhile for the attendee. Not mandatory, personally worthwhile, something they will feel they learned something from, not something they get done with and think, "okay, checked that block."

 

Making it mandatory doesn't culturize it any more than making alcohol illegal got it out of the culture during Prohibition. If anything, more mandatory training will just drive more people out -- something Scouting DOESN'T need. Demonstrate a personal benefit from the training course and you'll have waiting lists for the courses.

 

This is the big fallacy I see in both Scouting training/education and a lot of military training/education. The professional educators seem to think everything would be solved by just making their courses mandatory, the erstwhile students think things would be better by getting rid of the wasted drains on their time. Truth -- as usual -- lies between.

[desertrat77 1144]

We could use a new training culture.

 

Frankly, most of the training I've been thru over the years has been pretty ho hum. Metal chair warming time, watching checking, Powerpoint Death March. The instructors meant well, but they were clearly more enthralled about minutia and perpetuating the training cadres' culture than presenting a dynamic, give-me-more view of scouting. In other words, the training was to the cadres' complete satisfaction...but what about the trainee? If it is just a square filler, won't be many takers for future courses.

 

There is a great gulf between Woodbadge and the other training classes. Big difference in the energy and resources expended by councils between the two--night and day. If councils put even a fraction of WB's resources into their other training programs, we'd really have something.

 

Keep WB as a capstone, but make the other training courses interesting, vibrant and applicable to what's going on.

 

A big footstomp: Training cadres must be respectful of new scouters...that's something that crops up every now and again. Many trainers are seasoned scouters, part of the councils' "old family" and can be condescending to their students. Big mistake and a huge turnoff. New volunteers have tons of experience in life, but then run into Mr./Ms Knowitall at scouter training, and that can make the difference between sticking with the program or finding another volunteer organization where they are respected.

[John-in-KC 311]

I was talking with our Professional who is the staff adviser for all training in our Council. If you do not think the National Council is driving the train on mandating training for Scouters as a condition of adult membership, think again.

 

He thinks we will see an adult leader app change within 24 months, where there will be a page, much like the criminal background check page. It will be our contract with Council to take training for our positions.

 

The Councils which have mandated training, such as CNYScouters, OGE's, and mine, are testbeds.

 

Returning to subject, a culture where people want to learn, where people get something out of a training event, where the trainer was not "hey, you'd" 36 hours before the training (or the day of) ... those are signs that enthusiasm for training, on both the trainer and the learner's part, is starting to take hold. Too many of us have bad news stories on this forum.

 

If we're going to have required training, we cannot have bad training. It's that simple.