Page 31 - 2002 AMA Winter

of the good use made of adventure training senior management has an excuse for not wanting to be seen taking risks with employees partaking in what they perceive as trivial pursuits.
APTC involvement
I have watched, listened and participated in the arguments for many years and yes there have been some interesting appointments from time to time.... But, one Corps having the majority share holding has the advantage of being able to grasp this issue of structured training in a co­ ordinated way and I believe it has the expertise at this moment in time. However there is an unhealthy side to this because senior management may or already have become remote from quality AT and consider it a minor subject and someone else’s issue. Senior Officers and NCOs who are active AMA members are vital to keeping some of the ethos alive and in the minds of HQ staffs.
At one time I thought MOD needed to recognise the value of AT and that learning outcomes are boring bits of theory that take away the spon­ taneity and fun. But now I realise you can have both and
use spontaneity and adventure to provide experiences
that can facilitate learning. AT is a means to an end, not an end in itself. I think AT has got to justify its' value if it wants to be taken seriously.
A technical qualification does not indicate good training. How can a JSMEL or an MIC for that
matter, facilitate training outcomes if they know
little of the theory of developing individuals, teamwork, leadership, facilitation skills etc. that
can be applied to military service? Could the AT
world provide a course on this subject area which combined with outdoor qualifications would help AT raise its’ profile. Similar notions are being expressed in the civilian world in order to try to get outdoor education recognition and on the main­ stream education agenda.
A dispassionate view might be this: tax payers/voters
expect MOD to occupy its employees usefully and cost
effectively so adventure for adventure sake is for holidays as
are platoon outings that go under the guise of AT. Quality AT
that is facilitated to meet training objectives should be supported. Brutally honest I know but it might suddenly raise the value of AT to a point where it was better understood, better funded and perhaps there would be more time made available for training and qualifications thereby removing some of the barriers over qualifications. If AT continues to be abused there might come a time when a “bean counter" says “use it or lose it”.
There is a wealth of information and theory available these days if only it can be applied. Lt Col Phil Watkins APTC currently the Senior Master At Arms made some major in roads into the educational methods and benefits of AT more than 10 years ago but in general it seems to remain poorly understood and is rarely facilitated to good effect, but I'll leave that discussion for another day. Try looking at www.outdoor- learning.org in particular their book list is a treasure trove.
The AMA and adventure training
Actually the two are at odds, the AMA is about enjoyment and adventure for ourselves in the outdoors not really about instructing, qualifications and learning outcomes. An AMA only expedition of enthusiasts ought to be able to go on a
trip regardless of qualifications but with appropriate experience.
The regulations however are the same whether members of an association or not. The catch is we want to do it in working time and MOD say
they support that principle but only
with qualifications and not experience.
rr*