Roles and Responsibilities

Item 8e The Roles and Responsibilities of the Organisations involved with International Mountain Leaders - Produced by John Cousins and Issie Inglis

  • International Mountain Leaders (IML) from the UK and Ireland are governed in various ways by three organisations;
    a. The British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML)
    b. The Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA).
    c. Mountain Training UK (MTUK) - Awarding Body.

  • This paper defines the respective roles and responsibilities of the organisations with the aim of avoiding duplication, providing clarity to the general public and ensuring a coordinated response to any future developments.

  • MTUK is the umbrella body for mountain training in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its areas of work include the coordination of the global objectives of five Home Nation Boards, the administration of the International Mountain Leader Award and Mountaineering Instructor Awards, liaison with Government and other external bodies, the publication of a range of official handbooks for the Awards and finally in providing support to the workforce through the Mountain Training Association and other membership organisations.

  • MTUK is a charitable company governed by eight member organisations; BMC, Mountaineering Scotland, Mountaineering Ireland, MTBI, MTC, MTE and MTS. It is also supported by advisers from six additional bodies; AMI, BAIML, BMG , Glenmore Lodge, Plas y Brenin and Tollymore. BAIML is also currently a voting member of MTC, MTE and MTS.

  • BAIML currently represents over 500 members who either hold the full IML carnet or are working towards it. As a professional body it requires its members to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) and meet its standards of personal and professional behaviour. A condition of membership is that all members have third party, personal and professional indemnity insurance, and first aid or medical qualifications appropriate to the geographical locations where they choose to work.

  • BAIML is a full member of UIMLA and looks after the professional interests of its members. UIMLA works with all member country organisations as the international governing body, to develop and promote it’s worldwide standard for training and assessment, and common professional ethic for those choosing to lead individuals and groups in the mountains of the world.

  • UIMLA was created to encourage the development of common standards for professional mountain leaders throughout Europe and worldwide. The original agreement set out common standards for training, experience and certification of mountain leaders in EU member countries (“Community standard for access to and practise of the profession of European Mountain Leader)”. This grew and expanded to reflect the role of such mountain leaders worldwide, leading to the establishment of UIMLA as an independent body in 2004. Holders of the UIMLA endorsed International Mountain Leader’s qualification and carnet are trained and assessed by member organisations in their own country to a common syllabus.

  • MTUK is the awarding body for the Mountaineering Instructor Certificate (MIC), the Mountaineering Instructor Award (MIA) and the International Mountain Leader. Additionally it coordinates the setting of the standards for five other awards including the Mountain Leader and Winter Mountain Leader Awards, ensuring that where one qualification is an entry requirement for another any developments are carefully coordinated.

  • MTUK publicises the IML qualification, individually considers and approves applications for registration to join the scheme and administers candidates as they progress towards completion of the Award. The MTUK Board approves training and assessment providers and annually reviews and approves named course directors to deliver the training and assessment programmes. Using its Candidate Management System MTUK carries out desk based quality assurance on all IML courses and maintains on-going dialogue with these providers as they deliver both IML and the range of other Mountain Training awards. MTUK also carries out practical moderation visits to IML courses as agreed by all training boards.

  • As a critical stakeholder within MTUK, BAIML brings forwards proposals for developments to the IML and other schemes for consideration and wherever appropriate these are implemented.

  • BAIML represents its members and, where appropriate MTUK, at UIMLA business meetings. In any development of the current IML Standard suggestions may come from any member country for discussion and in this event BAIML representatives will then bring any such proposals to MTUK for consultation prior to a final vote being taken by UIMLA. MTUK and BAIML would then contribute to technical discussions. The final decision will rest with UIMLA and its BAIML representatives but it is the aim of all three organisations to move forward by broad consultation and wherever possible consensus.