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If you have experience of employing outdoor degree graduates or being a…
If you have experience of employing outdoor degree graduates or being a graduate from an outdoor degree, would you say outdoor degrees equip graduates with the HARD skills needed for work in the outdoor industry?
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No NGB's at University
not all graduates come with the NGB qualifications necessary to go to work "straight out of the tin".
I had one member of staff with a First in Outdoor Ed from Uni Cumbria and she was too nervous to lead groups. She spent her time doing admin in the office
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Experience level
but many undergraduates don't appreciate the need to gain experience in their own time in both coaching and personal adventures. Students don't value the personal experience, and just want the ticket quickly.
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Individual
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these course attract career instructors who are not inherently mountaineers or kayakers in their spare time. These cohorts / profiles are likely to end their degrees and then have difficulty finding work
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Rarely, unless the individual has been very self-motivated at the same time.
This depends on the determination of the individual to make the best use of the opportunities they have had on their course and their own level of ability to progress.
only when the student is committed to the Outdoor activities at a personal level and is committed to gaining NGBs.
An interest outside of studies and pursuing these qualifications in a parallel path, however is definitely relevant and shows commitment.
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If they have put the time, effort and desire into gaining the experience and practice to gain NGB qualifications,
As an outdoor degree graduate I wouldn't say I learnt anything that equipped me with the hard skills required.
Hard Skills and Coaching
ocus was on hard skills and coaching of Kayaking, climbing, mountaineering (summer and winter) and ski-ing, and to a lesser extent problem solving and facilitation skills.
NGB's provide evidence. Even then there is a step up in skill level before deployment so work based training is also normally required.
Basic NGB's & Support
often degree students leave with basic low level qualifications in a variety of outdoor disciplines but not the depth of experience required to gain higher level awards.
Yes to a basic level however the wide variety of skills needed requires lots of time and dedication, more than can be acquired over the course of a degree.
A graduate teacher / tutor who has a very broad range of low level qualifications, can inspire young people and encourage the process of learning is far more employable
The good ones provide some of the requirements, but no course can provide all the hard skills - they take time and practice to develop. More than a degree course. You can do a lot within the degree, just not a full range.
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An outdoor degree better as evidence of potential for higher level thinking but also as evidence of an all round knowledge base.
The degree courses, like trainee positions are good at bringing together like minded people in the same position. They can then get out in their own time to gain experience.