I very nearly told you the wrong answer, to be honest. Off the top of my head I thought it was rmo.wing@rafac, but I checked before replying to make sure, and was in fact wrong.
For what itās worthā¦
Although Iāve yet to do the FTTL or RMTL course, I have assisted with the training for rod marching in our wing for the past three years, going to Nijmegen twice, Spring and Winter WARMAsā¦ from discussing with various other staff and based on my own observationsā¦
Iād agree that the key differences between RMTL and LLA is best looked at what the ultimate target isā¦ marching on roadsā¦ whether theyāre at Cosford, Sandbach, Nijmegen, Arnhem etc - the biggest factors are that the cadets are following a prescribed route along roads and hard packed tracks - as opposed walking around parkland / fields etc walking on soil / sand / grass etcā¦
The biggest factor the cadets will need to condition to is the endurance side of pounding tarmac.
Yes there are circumstances for everyone that means a particular training walk might encounter a small section of track that is to be navigated, but access to and from that section should be easily egressed or reached in the event of a casualty.
The whole point is that as an activity, the cadets shouldnāt need extensive kit or equipment - they also should only have to follow simple instructions or a planned route on a clear to read map, along routes that wouldnāt be made dangerous by weather - andā¦ so that such activities can be easily conducted at a squadron / sector level, subject to sufficient trained staff etc.
The cadets arenāt required to cook in the field, set up shelters, navigate by compass, consider complex first aid situations etc, as a support vehicle should always be close by.
My understanding is that both qualifications are very similar in how you deal with inspiring and motivating the little poppets - but in defence of the RMTL - it should come across to the cadets that it is a more relevant qualification that the staff have takenā¦
As it is, there is already a modular approach to the qualifying the RM Team Leaders as they not only need the RMTL, but also AFA and recent sign off on climatic injuriesā¦
Check your SMS as I know my Region has an upcoming virtual RMTL course (I believe for staff with suitable prior experience at Warma / Nijmegen)
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Iām not sure Iād agree.
Lowland Leader is an NGB award and the training and assessment reflects that. As a holder of the qual you could be leading a team of young cadets on an ATC walk; a group of pensioners as a civie; or anywhere in between.
One of the most common and popular motivational tools for road marching is singing. The contents of the good old WARMA songbook doesnāt work so well with a rambling group, each walking in their own step, and would probably make you pretty unpopular on a country walk.
Ok Iām a FCI ECO, I can take cadets to the middle of Salisbury Plain, on Sennybridge training area, for an exercise, miles from a road or civilisation, I was meant to finish my LEL last year but work got in the way.
The stuff you need to do to get LEL compared to FCI is very different but as long as the Cadets are in combats on a training area I can actually do more than LEL as some training areas are harsh!
Ok I have 35 years experience in fieldcraft and am also ex JSMEL, but I got my FCI/ECO in 2 weekends.
If you held JSMEL, why are you doing LEL?
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Because I got JSMEL in 1992 with the ACF and had to leave cadets in 1998 because my first wife hated me buggering off all the time ( ok it was at least 2 weekends a month back then with a week Easter Camp and 2 Weeks summer), and didnāt return until 2013 ( divorced) so had to start all over again.
JSMEL doesnāt expire. You just need to show evidence of currency and CPD.
Which I couldnāt as I hadnāt been up a mountain since 1998 either, so grandfather rights werenāt going to happen, but I donāt mind really as the HSE regulations are so different now, our risk assessments involved checking the weather forecast and leaving a route card at HQ 