FAQs: Competence Through Experience
What does CTE mean in practice?
According to ACP 17, "where a wing wants to use
instructors/leaders whose competence comes through experience (CTE) the Wing
must provide confirmation that their competence is adequate for the task"
CTE is a short term scheme to allow experienced walking leaders who have not
completed assessment for a National qualification to run approved adventure
training activities
So unqualified people can run activities?
Headquarters Air Cadets recognised that many units would stop adventure
training altogether if it insisted that every activity was run by someone with
the National Governing Board (NGB) qualification. It also recognised that many experienced leaders have been running activities safely for many
years, without getting round to putting themselves forward for assessment, and
that it is not practical for everyone to complete assessment by 1 April 2003.
What safeguards are in place?
CTE is not handed out indiscriminately. Anyone wishing wanting to qualify for
CTE must:
- register with their Wing Adventure Training Officer (WATTO) before 1st
April 2002
- be assessed for CTE by a qualified person before 1st April 2003
- have a valid first aid certificate
- renew their registration annually, on production of their logbook and a
valid first aid certificate
How do I get on the scheme?
If you weren't on the list by 1st April 2002, you can't. If you want to run
cadet activities, you'll have to complete assessment for the appropriate
national qualification
What exactly are the rules?
Here's an extract from the logbook which is being issued by HQ Air Cadets to
all CTE holders, describing the scheme in detail:
- assessment of competence is a one-off assessment to the criterion required
for either BELA, WGL or ML(S)
- the assessment is to be conducted over 2 days, ideally and where
practical, by two authorised assessors
- when one of the log book certificates of assessment has been completed the
other two are to be removed or crossed through
- certificates only remain valid where the holder is deployed and maintains
currency within the remit of the assessed standard. Additionally holds a
current first aid certificate at the level required by the NGBs
- trekking leaders wishing to progress through NGB qualifications should
join the appropriate NGB scheme
- the log book has the endorsement of the Air Cadets Adventure Training (ACAT) technical panel. The panel
sets minimum requirements for the conduct of the ACAT scheme
- the log book should be completed and maintained as an audit of the
leader's trekking experience and assessment of technical competence
- the log book provides authorisation, within the ACAT scheme, for the
holder to take responsibility for a group of air cadets in terrain areas of
the UK that fall within their assessed level of technical competence
- CTE only applies to those experienced leaders who under "Grandfather
rights" have operated without the ACAT scheme, without NGB
qualifications, for many years
- CTE is not intended as an alternative to NGB qualifications. It
enables those experienced leaders to continue delivering quality and safe
trekking activities
- as CTE scheme trekking leaders retire from the Air Cadets the CTE scheme
will diminish in numbers and eventually cease as a means of demonstrating
the competence of trekking leaders
What's the policy in Herts & Bucks Wing?
In Herts and Bucks wing, our policy is to grant CTE only to instructors who:
- have completed the ML training course
- hold a valid first aid certificate
- have been running cadet activities safely and effectively for several
years
- can show that are they are currently active mountaineers
- have been assessed by the Wing's "qualified person"
