Our team of Environmentalists are made up of dedicated, passionate individuals skilled at imparting their fascination for the geography and biology of the region to visiting students. They appreciate how important the fieldwork element is to the overall study programme & are experienced in guiding and assisting both individuals and groups.
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Many of our experienced tutors are graduates in their specialist area of study and trained to meet all audits (internal and external) in health & safety, first aid and soft skills. Each Centre is run by an experienced and highly qualified Centre Manager.
Kingswood invests heavily in its staff recruitment and training procedures. Every centre has an Environmental Specialist who is responsible for the ongoing training and development of all members of the environmental team. Instructors receive both general and site specific environmental coaching delivered in groups or on a one-to-one basis. Our Environmental Specialists also receive specific personal development which may also be externally validated. Throughout the year we bring our environmental teams together to formulate fresh courses and discuss the impact of new environmental issues & concerns on our overall programme.
New Instructors are recruited via a rigorous induction procedure which takes place three times a year. Kingswood also employs a qualified occupational tester who advises on all staff selection procedures. Every inductee receives police clearance before arriving at a Kingswood Centre, is checked by the Criminal Records Bureau and all references are followed up. Training is a comprehensive package which includes such important elements as ‘soft skills’ and how to talk to young people and teenagers. They are also continuously assessed in their compliance with Kingswood Health & Safety procedures and are qualified in Emergency First Aid. In their second year, selected Instructors are promoted to Lead Instructor level and work towards Management qualifications.
Where an adventurous activity is regulated by a National Governing Body (NGB), all staff instructing that activity either hold the relevant NGB qualification or have been assessed by technically qualified specialists. For all other activities, instructors are trained and assessed by similarly technically qualified specialists. Where appropriate, these specialists’ qualifications conform to the Technical Expert/Adviser requirements of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA).
