On Monday the 1st of May 2023 the Mountain Training Association (MTA) changed the category of Full member to Qualified member throughout the Candidate Management System (Tahdah) and informed all members via April’s e-newsletter.

We made this change to make it easier to understand the difference between the two membership categories Trainee Member and Qualified (formerly Full) Member. The difference, as you can hopefully guess, is that Trainee members are those who have registered for a Mountain Training qualification and have not yet passed the assessment for any qualification, and Qualified members are those who have passed the assessment of at least one Mountain Training qualification.

Within the membership itself there are just a few differences in what is available only to Qualified members, these are:

• Use of the Mountain Training Association logo - As the logo is recognition of excellence, expertise and quality, it can only be used once that member has illustrated that they meet the criteria for the qualification and are thus at the standard expected of members holding a Mountain Training qualification.
• The Marsh Sport (Formerly Bluefin Sport) insurance offer - As the insurance offer is linked directly to the qualification members hold and covers them for working within the remit of their qualification.
• Selected deals and discounts: Some of the deals and discounts are for Qualified members only, such as the Montane, Osprey and Chasing Maps ones. This is because the company have offered the discount only for those members who hold a Mountain Training qualification as they see them as excellent ambassadors for their brand.
• Being a mentor - Holding a Mountain Training qualification is required to enable mentors to help mentees working towards the qualification they already hold so that they have experience of the process and the pathway.

All members can access the core membership benefits of:

• UK and Ireland workshop programme for continuing personal/professional development (CPD) throughout the year
• The MTA mentoring programme
• Access to Regional Groups, their events, social activities, and peer support
• The 100 or so deals and discounts that are for all members, such as 20% of Cotswold Outdoors/Snow + Rock, 50% of Sherpa Adventure Gear,
• The Professional Mountaineer quarterly magazine
• Online resources and guides for working in hill walking, climbing and/or mountaineering
• Exclusive member only Facebook group as a members forum for asking questions, finding people to train/work with, posting about CPD opportunities and more
• e-Newsletter - updating members on the latest news from Mountain Training, courses and workshops, local events and activities as well as news from the Mountaineering councils
• Premium features on DLOG

If you would like any further information on this, contact: mta@mountain-training.org