There is a commpany local to me (Lancashire) offering a Level 1/2 course but the list of accrediations is:
Association of British cycle coaches
CTC
Adventure Activities Licensing Authority
Learning Outside the Classroom

Notably it does not include British Cycling which I see the Plas Y Brenin course does.

Is a Level 2 a Level 2 anywhere or does it need to be British Cycling accedited, which certainly makes sense to me.

http://www.abcc.co.uk/become-a-coach/

Could be the CTC course they are offering?
http://www.ctc.org.uk/courses-and-training/personal-skills-development/mtb-bike-skills-training-get-mtb-bike-training-ctc-

rather than this.

Give Cyclewise at Whinlatter a ring, as they are BC accredited and they’ll give you an answer anx will be closer/cheaper than PyB

AFAIK – MBLA is not yet accredited by BC. News is they are working to produce something that satisfies everyone in 2015. Don’t hold your breath.
Depends on what/why you need it (for) is your insurance via BC or CTC?

Dig out @Mattoutandabout – he is a font or knowledge (and sometimes froth! :lol:) on these things.

looks like my MBLA could be redundant next year unless I retrain!

looks like the local company is behind the times.

Cyclewise & PyB offer the new (& longer & more expensive) BC courses.

Plas-y-Brenin – level 2

cyclewise – level 2

Think level 2 would be where I am at, looking just for interest at the moment with a view to selling my body.

I did the MBLA2 at PyB last year and loved it. £250, which isn’t too bad a price for 2 nights accommodation and all food in addition to the training. (£125 for just the assessment with no accommodation was a bit pricier)
A great buzz at PyB with a real sense of history about the place. Did the REC 1st aid there as well. I’d recommend it.

Heard a bit of gossip re BC Lev2 that there are not enough assessors in the system yet and a lot of “professionals” who need the quali for their work are becoming concerned!

Just thought I’d stick my two penneth in, but in the interests of transparency I’ll point out that we are the MIAS provider for Lancashire – Rivington Bike Training. 🙂

Think this topic has cropped up before re which qual to go for and our predecessor stated that he believed that the provider was a more important choice than which qualification to go for, something I definitely agree with. Re the comments on the buzz at PYB, that’s exactly what you need, somebody who knows their onions and is enthusiastic about what they do.

Before becoming the MIAS provider we considered whether to look at delivering MBLA or the CTC courses.
Re the differences between the awards, the truth of the matter is that the objectives are much the same.

That said the biggest difference you would notice if you attended two courses is the course provider as mentioned above, their delivery will undoubtedly be very different regardless of which qualification they hold.

MIAS is recognised by local authorities and outside of the UK, Rivington Bike Training has been working very closely with several local schools, adventure centres and with local Cadets (RAF etc.) over the last few months.

There are several reasons why we chose the MIAS qualification over MBLA.

You will note that British Cycling has stated on it’s website that “The MBLA scheme will cease to exist from 31 December 2015”.

British Cycling has also stated that “The new UK Mountain Bike Leadership Scheme is already in operation and there will be a gradual transition to the new scheme from the MBLA, with current MBLA tutors undergoing an orientation process to deliver the new scheme.”

The prospect of transferring to a new scheme (which would no doubt cost us money) was off-putting for us as was the uncertainty of a new qualification. MIAS on the other hand, whilst being refined continually is here to stay in it’s current guise. We also didn’t know how the UK Mountain Bike Leadership Scheme would be received abroad but we do know MIAS is recognised abroad and has over 13,000 members.

Another point to note is that the other schemes are more expensive than MIAS as you would need to pay for your course and assessment separately.

Whichever qual you choose I would concentrate on the provider. If you go for MBLA – PYB has a great reputation and would be my first choice.

Frank

cheers Frank,

I’ll do some more research before making up my mind.

I’m a bit tired of sports governing bodies shifting the goal posts to keep the blazer wearers in brass buttons and G&Ts.

I’m a bit tired of sports governing bodies shifting the goal posts to keep the blazer wearers in brass buttons and G&Ts.

Couldn’t agree more, you see it with quals in other industries from Personal Training to Construction too, “we know you have been fitting boilers for 15 years, but now we want £1,800 from you so you can carry on doing so”.

The emphasis always seems to be on what certificate you have rather than what you can deliver to your client.

I can say with some certainty that your clients won’t care which certificate you have – the real work begins when you are putting together your skills courses/trips etc.

What you want from a MTB Leader Course is food for thought, ideas for your business (such as H&S, risk assessment, target client group) and some new skills to practice – navigation/skills drills on there bike.

Provided the qual can get you insured and can be used where you want to use it, the biggest consideration should be “how much will the actual course provider give me?”

Spot on Frank ^^^^

Somewhat cross with mbla/BC