Scouts

SCOUTS AUSTRALIA

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE NATION 2016

Training

Training at Scouts Australia was significantly restructured in

2015/2016 to enable the organisation to meet compliance

responsibilities for the Australian vocational training regulator,

ASQA, as well as strengthening each education stream Scouting

now provides.

Members of Scouts Australia, having completed their Basic

Leader Training, which conforms to the requirements of the

World Organisation of the Scout Movement, can then, if they

wish, continue with vocationally-recognised courses through the

Scouts Australia Institute of Training (SAIT). In this way, Scouts

Australia gives its adults the choice of how much training they

wish to engage in above the minimum required for taking on an

adult leadership role. A number of these qualifications are also

extended to Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts.

Reflecting on the need to focus on the strategic development

of SAIT, Scouts Australia developed a separate SAIT board of

management. SAIT registered two new qualifications, Certificate

IV and the Diploma in Leadership and Management, both

actively sought-after qualifications in the VET area. Training

team members from across Australia contributed to a significant

rewrite of all underlying documentation as part of SAIT’s renewal

of qualifications (now until 2023).

Scouts Australia finalised the Advanced Practical Supplement

(for both Leaders of Youth and Leaders of Adults) to its training,

ensuring, for the first time that the Adult Training curriculum

across all Branches was consistent in content and delivery. This

will enable a smoother path for Adult Leaders wishing to transfer

to other Branches and sets a standard that with appropriate

support, complements the offering from SAIT.

Adventurous Activities on elearning

For the first time, Adventurous Activities training was extended

into the eLearning space with the addition of five new modules.

This project, taking two years to develop, ensured that all

Branches were consulted and satisfied with the resulting modules.

These modules are now available to Adults and Youth Members,

and have been integrated with the Scout Bushwalking weekend.

There is now a greater focus on practical skills when members

come together in a face to face learning environment.

Workshops

During the year, a National Events Management course was

offered as both non-accredited and accredited skills to members.

The course, conducted in Brisbane, was well represented by

Rover Scouts keen to be involved in leading major national

events. A National Pioneering workshop was held in Canberra to

review the standards for Pioneering, and, like the Adventurous

Activity Schools in recent years, set national guidelines for the

delivery of this essential part of the youth program.