A trained Commissioner is an effective Commissioner! Commissioner training has the following elements:
- Commissioner Position Specific Basic Training – On line or instructor led within 30 days
- Completion of the onboarding progress record within 30 days
- Continuing education (monthly and annually)
POSITION SPECIFIC BASIC TRAINING
Online Commissioner Basic Training
Assuming you have completed Youth Protection Training and are a registered Commissioner, Basic Training courses are available for all Commissioner roles and are available in the BSA Learn Center. After logging into my.scouting (https://my.scouting.org/ ), click on the BSA Learn Center logo on the right side of the landing page then click on the block for Commissioners and select the Learning Plan for your role from the dropdown. A learning plan will consist of a number of modules that should be completed before your first meeting, within 30 days and 90 days.
If a Commissioner is not familiar with the Scouting movement, Acclimation modules are available. The Acclimation modules include:
- Aims and Methods of the BSA
- BSA Organizational Structure
- What is Cub Scouting?
- What is Boy Scouting?
- What is Venturing?
- What is Sea Scouting?
- What is Exploring?
- What is Learning for Life?
These Acclimation modules are also available in the BSA Learn Center. At the minimum, a Commissioner new to the BSA should take the first two modules and then complete the modules for the types of units they will be serving. These modules are all optional for those with Scouting experience.
Instructor Led Commissioner Basic Training
Learners who prefer to complete their courses in a classroom environment can find course dates by contacting their local district or council Commissioner Staff. Instructor Lead Basic Training will still be available at: www.scouting.org/commissioners/training/basic-training . The student will still need to complete the onboarding worksheet with a mentor and the training must then be entered with the proper training code in Training Manager in order for the commissioner to be considered trained.
ONBOARDING PROGRESS RECORD
The final phase of Basic Training is to complete the onboarding worksheet working with a mentor. The onboarding worksheet is a set of 10 – 12 tasks that the mentor and protégé will do together and can be completed in a short time frame.
When these activities are complete, check off the items on the interactive onboarding worksheet and submit them. Your training record will automatically be updated and you will be designated as “Trained” in Training Manager.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Continuing Education provides a variety of learning experiences to add knowledge and current information useful to commissioners. It includes a short training topic at every monthly district and council commissioner meeting. Select topics are based on current learning needs. A session can be led by an appropriate commissioner, a professional, a member of a district or council committee, or even some talented person outside Scouting.
Monthly Training
District and Council Commissioners are responsible for seeing that every member of their staff receives adequate training. After onboarding and being commissioned, commissioners should attend training the monthly district commissioner staff or Council Commissioner Cabinet meeting. Thus, every month commissioners are enhancing their knowledge of the program and how they can best serve units through continuous training.
Annual Training Event
One of the principal responsibilities of the council commissioner is to see that a complete program is in place to train every commissioner in the council. In addition to enhancing their knowledge at the monthly cabinet meetings, a commissioner should plan to attend an annual training event, which can be in the form of a commissioner conference or College of Commissioner Science or both. Nationally developed courses, resource materials, and training recognition provide the structure for good commissioner training. It is the local council’s mission to provide fun, sparkle, motivation, and frequent training opportunities so that commissioners will learn good unit service skills.
National Level Training
Each year, National level commissioner training is held at the Philmont Training Center, Florida Sea Base, the Summit, and at Scouting U’s Westlake Campus. These training opportunities are led by a top-flight very experienced faculty and feature tools, techniques, discussions and idea sharing that enhance the abilities of all commissioners. Details and registration information can be found on the Training web page.
Additional Training Courses available for download:
LDS Commissioner Orientation (new November 2016)
College of Commissioner Science
Upcoming Commissioner Colleges