About Mountain Training
Mountain Training is the collection of awarding bodies for skills courses and qualifications in walking, climbing and mountaineering that operates across the UK and The Republic Of Ireland.
Our Vision
A diverse and active outdoor society, supported by inspirational leaders, instructors and coaches.
Our Mission
To inspire, enable and develop people in walking, climbing and mountaineering through the provision of nationally and internationally recognised skills training and leadership qualifications.
Our Ethos
We believe in:
- The safe enjoyment of walking, climbing and mountaineering. We disseminate guidance on good practice and provide training and qualifications for participants, instructors, leaders and coaches.
- High quality training and assessment delivered by experienced and supportive practitioners.
- Developing independent walkers, climbers and mountaineers who practice and encourage, sustainable and sympathetic use of the outdoors by all users.
- Supporting equal access to our sport for people from all backgrounds. We also believe that all people have the potential to develop leadership and coaching skills if trained appropriately.
- Good leadership is about more than decision making and technical skill; it is about supporting and developing individuals.
- Inspiring people to enjoy walking, climbing and mountaineering with confidence and skill.
All of our schemes are designed to educate and train people so that they can safely enjoy the climbing walls, crags, coast, hills and mountains of our beautiful country abd are recognised and supported by the governments across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Our qualifications train and assess people to look after other people in these environments, whether that's leading a walk in the mountains, coaching in a climbing wall or teaching multi pitch rock climbing. People who hold our qualifications have been assessed at a nationally agreed standard and may be volunteers, youth workers, outdoor instructors or teachers.
Decisions regarding the entry requirements and course content for qualifications delivered by multiple boards, are developed and agreed across the UK and The Republic of Ireland. Each national Mountain Training organisation is responsible for approving, training and moderating providers, course directors and staff, in line with shared quality assurance standards
Courses are run by approved providers who are scattered all around the UK and Ireland. When you book onto a course, they’re the ones who will train and assess you, teach you how to climb, navigate, lead etc.
On a day to day basis, Mountain Training is run by a small staff team based in North Wales, Aviemore, Manchester and Dublin. There are also quite a few volunteers who represent the interests of outdoor and educational organisations and help to steer Mountain Training at a strategic level. Without these volunteers, we’d find it a lot harder to do what we do.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Statement
We believe that an equitable, diverse and inclusive adventure activity sector is better for everyone.
Skills
- We want as wide a range of people as possible to benefit from our skills courses in a safe, accessible and supportive environment. This may involve supporting closed courses that provide a safe space for people with certain characteristics or offering financial support to reduce at least one of the common barriers to attendance.
Qualifications
- We recognise that the diversity of our qualification holders does not reflect the diversity of those taking part in walking and climbing activities and we want to encourage and support those who are currently underrepresented to pursue and achieve our qualifications.
- We want our courses to be safe learning environments for all. We work with our providers to raise their awareness of bias and help them to deliver courses free from discrimination and prejudice.
Staff
- The demographics of our small staff team and our management boards do not reflect the full diversity of the overall population of the UK and Ireland. We advertise our opportunities widely and welcome applications from all. We are also committed to identifying our blind spots and addressing any unconscious bias that may affect decision making.
- We will continue to educate ourselves, learn from our mistakes and accept criticism and advice from people with different lived experiences.
The above statements relate to the protected characteristics of age, ability, gender, disability, race, parental or marital status, religion or belief or sexual orientation, though this list is not exhaustive.
Note to employers:
Mountain Training qualifications include the practical assessment of technical competence and the assessment of leadership skills - though not necessarily with a participant group similar to that which they will go on to lead/instruct/coach.
The competence and suitability of a Mountain Training qualification holder to work in any given role with any given participants are matters of judgement for both the employer and the individual themselves. Assessing and providing sufficient levels of site specific knowledge, first aid, safeguarding and currency of skills are ongoing responsibilities for both parties.
Mountain Training also provide:
The national Mountain Training organisations (click for more info):
The five national Mountain Training organisations collectively set standards for all the qualifications listed to ensure their validity across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
The Mountain Training Association
If you would like access to support and development as you work towards a qualification or after you've passed an assessment, you can join the Mountain Training Association (MTA). Mountain Training candidates are not automatically members of the Mountain Training Association, but you can choose to join for a small annual fee (currently £39). Benefits of membership include access to workshops and further training opportunities, a quarterly magazine, gear deals, an online development (CPD) record and discounted insurance to name but a few. Find out more about the Mountain Training Association.
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National Guidelines
The National Guidelines are useful for anyone with a responsibility for climbing, walking and mountaineering related activities. The document offers advice and guidance on the full spectrum of considerations including operational guidelines, the ‘four ways to competence’ and the responsibilities of the provider, leader and participant.
If you want to know more about competence, risk assessments and the principles of safety management, the National Guidelines is the place to look.
Adventure Smart UK
Mountain Training Cymru and Mountain Training England support Adventure Smart UK, a safety campaign which aims to reduce the number of avoidable incidents which the rescue and emergency services deal with each year by promoting safe adventures. Click the logo to find out more about Adventure Smart.
