Training
All adult leadership roles require some training to be completed. Some of this (Getting Started) in the first few months of you starting the role, with the remainder of the training (for Unit leaders) being completed over three years. The aim is for the majority of this training to be worked on during your time as a leader, and isn't designed to make you jump through unnecessary hoops!
Once you've started your role, you'll be assigned a Training Adviser (TA), who'll guide you through the training for your role and be able to answer any questions you might have.
Getting Started
These training modules should be completed within 5 months of you starting your role (and ideally before you go to appointments).
The certificates for these should be downloaded or screenshotted and sent to your TA who will then validate the training with you if necessary.
Appointments
Most leadership roles require you to attend an appointments meeting, where members of the District appointments committee will discuss your role with you and make sure you understand the responsibilities and committments it requires - although it sounds quite formal, this is to make sure that the role is suitable for you. The meetings are quite short, and are also a good way to meet some other new volunteers in the District.
The appointments committee normally meets each month over an evening, and will contact you directly to invite you to pick a suitable time at one of their upcoming meetings.
Additional Training Modules (for Unit leaders)
Once you have completed Getting Started and been through appointments your TA will work with you to put together a training plan to lay out which training you might need additional learning for, and when you aim to do this.
Your TA may recommend you complete some e-learning or attend one of the County-run courses in order the gain any additional skills or knowledge needed for that module, however you may find that some of the skills and training you have from outside of Scouting (e.g. through your job or other interests) will count towards the learning needed, and all that's needed is a discussion on how you'll demonstrate these skills to us (known as validation). We often use the acronym LOVE to explain this - learning is optional, validation is essential.
Ongoing Learning
All roles are required to renew the ongoing learning modules—Safety, Safeguarding, and First Aid (Unit leaders only)—every three years. Leaders who've gained their woodbadge should aim to complete around five hours of additional learning each year, to acquire new skills and keep up to date with new policies.