About Mountain Training Scotland's Bursary Scheme
Mountain Training Scotland annually offers a limited number of bursaries to support candidates wishing to undertake a Mountain Training personal skills course, or training or assessment (including a re-assessment) course in one of the Mountain Training qualifications provided by Mountain Training Scotland for whom the personal financial constraints may be a barrier to participation and whose participation may promote MTS’s commitment to diversity, equity, equality and inclusion aims and include:
- Identify and seek to address the challenges facing candidates accessing and completing a Mountain Training qualification.
- Support and promote greater diversity of participation in walking, climbing and mountaineering related activities.
- Develop links between leadership and safe participation, and other relevant agendas including education, health and wellbeing.
Funding
Funding is available up to a maximum of £600 for the Mountain Training course fees ONLY (Please note the bursary does NOT cover scheme costs such registration fees, first aid course, travel/accommodation, purchasing equipment etc) and must be claimed within 6 months of the Bursary being awarded.
MTS would like to acknowledge the generous financial support from the Cairngorm Club that helps support bursary awards to applicants. Based in Aberdeen, the Cairngorm Club was founded in 1887 and is the oldest and one of the largest hillwalking and climbing clubs in Scotland.
Eligibility criteria for bursary consideration
To qualify for a bursary, candidates should be able to demonstrate:
- an indication of the personal financial constraints which prevent them from participating on the course;
- their commitment to encouraging wider participation in climbing and or hill and mountain walking from their community. This may be either through their own circumstance or through a clear intention to either work towards gaining a Mountain Training qualification OR use their Mountain Training qualification to facilitate participation in Mountain, Hill and Climbing activities by others in their community (as part of this you will be asked to provide a reference from a referee who is not a spouse, partner or close family member to vouch for and support the above);
- that they have fulfilled all the stated experience prerequisites for attending the training or assessment course as prescribed by Mountain Training; OR they have completed a Mountain Training qualification course run by a Mountain Training Scotland approved provider and submitted a bursary application within four weeks of the end date of the course;
- that they have a commitment to the relevant activity through their own personal background and experience;
- that they have registered for the relevant qualification;
- that they are old enough to register on the Mountain Training scheme of their choice and resident in Scotland at the time of application and the relevant course.
- that their Mountain Training course is one of those provided by Mountain Training Scotland and will be delivered by a Mountain Training Scotland approved provider.
Application
To apply for a bursary please download the MTS Bursary Application Form at the link below – please note a reference is required to support the application.
All applications will be considered as soon as is reasonably possible by the designated Board Member + one other Board Member of Mountain Training Scotland and the outcome will be communicated formally to the applicant by the Board via email. This may take up to a month to process.
The candidate must pay for course fees initially and claim the amount awarded within 6 months of the award being made. Payment will be made after confirmation by MTS with the course provider of attendance and completion of the course.
Retrospective applications for Mountain Training qualification courses completed will be considered if an application is submitted within four weeks from the end of the course.
Applicants may submit multiple applications for different qualifications (including re-assessments) but only one per course and one per calendar year.
