As a Venturing leader and a mentor for the youth in our community, you will find Scouting to be a fun and exciting program for you and your Scouts. The training programs of the Boy Scouts of America will provide you with all the basic tools needed to be successful in your leadership position, along with continual opportunities to refine your skills as you become comfortable in delivering a quality program.

Venturing Leader Basic Training

Venturing leaders are considered trained and eligible to wear the official Trained emblem once they have completed:

  1. Venturing Youth Protection Training online, and
  2. Venturing Leader Specific Training

Youth Protection Training (YPT) is required for all new registered leaders and must be retaken every two years to maintain registration. YPT is designed to keep our youth safe from abuse. You will learn the Boy Scouts of America's youth protection guidelines, signs of abuse, and how to report suspected abuse. Every registered leader must take Youth Protection Training online. Registered members of the BSA should provide their member numbers (as part of the user profile) to receive credit. 

Venturing Leader Specific Training provides crew leadership with the information and tools they need to lead successful crew. This course can be taken online, or find a course near you.

Additional Training Courses

Participating in supplemental and advanced training is a great way to keep basic leadership skills fined tuned and provides an opportunity to gather new ideas from other experienced leaders.

  • Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) - During this hands-on course, participants work as patrols. Leaders learn the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts. Upon completion, leaders should feel comfortable teaching Scouts the basic skills required to obtain the First Class rank. Fifth-grade Webelos leaders are encouraged to take this course. Find a course near you.
  • Fast Start Training is intended to be taken by leaders immediately following the acceptance of their new role and offered online.
  • Powder Horn is a hands-on resource management course designed to give you the contacts and tools necessary to conduct an awesome high-adventure program in your troop, crew, or ship.
  • Roundtable is conducted monthly in each district.
  • Safety Trainings - Hazardous Weather, Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, Climb on Safely and Trek Safely are offered online.
  • Sea Badge is the advanced leadership and management course for leaders of the Sea Scouting program.
  • This is Scouting provides an overview of the Scouting organization, including history, values, programs, Youth Protection, community involvement, and training. The module consists of six video sections, each followed by a brief quiz and is offered online.
  • University of Scouting is a one-day supplemental training offered each February to allow leaders to enhance and improve the program quality that they deliver and to have a positive impact on youth. Leaders can choose from a wide variety of classes.
  • Wood Badge is advanced leadership training.
  • Youth Classes such as NYLT and Den Chief Training are available.

Online Training

There are many training courses that can be taken online. To access the training, go to My.Scouting.org, then:

  • Create an account — this can be done with or without your BSA membership ID.
  • If you enter your membership ID, your training records will be updated at the council office.
  • If you are not yet registered, you can still take training. Just print the certificate at the end of each course.
  • After your account is created, you will receive an email with a link. Click the link to activate your My.Scouting.org account. This must be done before you can log in. If you do not receive an email, check your spam/junk folder.
  • Once you log in toMy.Scouting.org, click E-Learning on the left-hand side. Program-related trainings are listed under tabs (Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and General).
  • Submit your certificate of completion to your district training chair.
  • Click on training validation to review what courses you have taken. This includes courses recorded at the council office.

Training Validation: After logging onto My.Scouting.org, click on “Training Validation” and you can check to see if your trainings have been recorded in the council's computer system. If you notice any discrepancies in your training records, visit the council training page.

Additional Training Resources

Contacts

For questions about training, please contact your district training chair.