Scouting America maintains a training info site with lots of information, resources, and links. Familiarize yourself with these pages to find out more.
Scouting America Training Info
As Training coordinator, you have access to reports on the training status of all the registered adults in the troop. Use the Training Manager in my.scouting to view these reports.
The BSA Learn Center is a portal for accessing all of Scouting’s online/self-directed training courses. It’s located at training.scouting.org, and you must be logged into a my.scouting account to access it.
Every registered adult in Scouting is required to complete or re-certify in Safeguarding Youth Training (SYT) every year. SYT is mandatory and can’t register or renew membership without it. Anyone can take SYT without being a registered member. SYT is an online course taken through the Learn Center. There’s also a spanish version.
Different adult positions in Scouting have different sets of required training. Be aware of what training is required for Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmaster and Committee Member, and make sure our leaders stay up-to-date on their requirements. See here for more info.
Wood Badge is the premiere training program for all adult volunteers in Scouting. It combines two weekends of classroom instruction with an 18-month “ticket” where participants work towards a set of goals for their Troop, under the continued guidance of a trainer. For scouters who’ve completed their required training and are eager to keep learning, Wood Badge is a great next step. Wood Badge courses are offered at the council level.
University of Scouting is an annual, council-run event where scouters can take live courses in a wide variety of topics, ranging from leadership and coaching to backcountry cooking and rope work. After completing enough courses in certain areas over the course of multiple years, scouters can earn “degrees”.
Equally important to adult training is youth training. Youth training is a great way to help scouts learn leadership skills and become better leaders for the troop.
ILST is a troop-level training program for all youth leaders. It covers the basics of leadership, including vision and goalsetting, teamwork, coaching, and communication. Troop 1607 runs an ILST course at least once every year.
NYLT is a week-long council-run leadership training camp for youth leaders who’ve completed ILST. It’s the next level of youth training, and strongly recommended for incoming SPLs, ASPLs, and Patrol Leaders.
NAYLE is the highest-level youth training in BSA, offered at the National level. This one is not often done, but may be worth recommending to some scouts.
Our district often holds special training courses specifically for Den Chiefs. These should always be encouraged for Den Chiefs when the courses are available.
Check the CT Rivers Council calendar often for upcoming training events. You should keep the troop calendar updated with info about the major training events, including ILST, NYLT, IOLS, Wood Badge, University of Scouting, and Troop Committee Challenge. There are also many other supplemental training courses to be aware of, such as:
- Leave No Trace Training
- Paddlecraft Safety
- Range Instructor Training
Be aware of these and encourage select scouts and scouters to attend them, when appropriate.
