Trail Builder Awards Scheme
Updated 12/7/25
The BTC Trail Builder Awards scheme has been developed by the association to help create structure, enhance safety and assure quality in its volunteer trail work. The scheme is being piloted in 2022 as part of a wider plan to deliver youth and adult training and qualification opportunities, as outlined in the 2022-2024 plan.
“We see awards as enablers, allowing members of the association to be recognised and accredited as holding a certain level of trail building knowledge and skills.
The BTC association can then confidently deploy award holders to lead and deliver trail work, safe in the knowledge that they have the requisite skills to safely and effectively achieve the necessary outcomes.”
WHY HAVE AN AWARDS SYSTEM?
Having a trail builder awards scheme achieves a number of outcomes:-
For the Trail Association it provides:-
- A structure to help manage and deploy the volunteer workforce.
- A means to assure safety standards are met.
- A mechanism to assure quality and ensure adherence to the build standards laid down by the association and the conservation policies and protocols agreed with land owners and National Parks and other stakeholders.
- A means to support public liability insurance applications through good governance and risk mitigation.
For Volunteer Trail Builders it provides:-
- Certification of a level of proficiency that can potentially be recognised by other associations.
- A sense of achievement and recognition of their commitment to learning.
- Motivation to continue volunteering and developing their knowledge and practical skills to go on and achieve higher levels of accreditation.
AWARDS SCHEME STRUCTURE
The BTC Trail Builder Awards Scheme is open to all members of the BTC and completely free. It will offer 3 levels of Trail Builder award, colour coded bronze, silver and gold.
L1 Trail Builder | L2 Lead Trail Builder | L3 Master Trail Builder |
REMIT: To work within a volunteer work party delivering quality trail building work under the direction and management of a team leader. To develop personal trail building skills and knowledge and work towards the Lead Trail Builder Award. | REMIT: To lead and manage volunteer work party to achieve agreed work plans. To mentor and support trail builders in developing skills. To develop skills and knowledge and work towards the Master Trail Builder Award. | REMIT: To take overall responsibility for strategic trail development plans, working closely with land owners and other stakeholders. To conduct risk and environmental impact assessments of any new trail proposals. To determine annual and monthly association work plans and approve trail routing. To mentor and support trail builders and leaders and assess new candidates for awards. |
Note: the BTC trail builder awards scheme relates to trail building and maintenance on natural wild trails only, using hand tools and naturally available materials onsite.
QUALIFICATION PROCESS
Becoming accredited with a trailbuilding award is a journey not an event. Learning is on-the-job and training delivered by lead and master trailbuilders. By the time a candidate has declared themselves ready they should KNOW the requisite theory and be able to SHOW adequate practical trailbuilding skills.
BUILDING KNOWLEDGE: Developing theory and technical knowledge is achieved by working alongside more experienced trailbuilders, asking questions and supplementing this with e-learning from designated online videos and resources as shared by the association.
DEVELOPING PRACTICAL TRAIL BUILDING SKILLS: Developing practical trailbuilding skills is achieved by working in the field alongside and being mentored by more experienced trail builders, following their guidance to practice and refine skills and problem solving techniques.
TRACKING PROGRESS: Candidates should track all their learning on the designated BTC Trail Builder Learning Logbook and Assessment Record, recording notes and declaring when they believe they might be ready for assessment. Lead Trail builders will support and mentor candidates through this process offering support where required and indicating to them if they are indeed rady to be assessed.
Once the candidate and mentor are satisfied the candidate has mastered all items they can present their log with supporting images for assessment and sign-off by the association assessor.
The assessor will conduct the assessment by both observation of work and discussion with both the candidate and mentor.
Once a candidate is fully signed off for a level they can then purchase an official BTC gilet, t-shirt or baseball cap with their award level badge on it.
WANNA GET STARTED?
If yes, then please complete this form. Once we receive your application we’ll then send you a link for your online workbook and help you get started on your learning and qualification journey.