LANTRA AWARDS
2007 saw the launch of a new, nationally recognised qualification for falconers. The Hawk Board, in conjunction with Lantra Awards, have designed the first level of training to establish a standard of competence for beginners. This is known as the Beginning Falconry Award and is administered by Lantra Awards. Lantra Awards are an agency licensed by the Government to monitor the provision of training in the land-based and environmental sector.
The award is available through a number of Approved Assessment Points (AAPs) where recognised Assessors will check the depth of knowledge and practical competence of candidates. These may be complete novices who have learnt their skills in a variety of ways (through Falconry Centres, Clubs or from friends), or they may be existing falconers who want to be part of a skills development programme. There is no examination as such but the Assessors will require proof of your depth of knowledge and practical competency.
The content of this first level is set out in a Candidates Workbook, along with recommendations of where to source the knowledge and how this might be presented. You need not be intimidated by the prospect of an assessment as there is no pass/fail criterion. The aim is to raise everybody's level of competence so that the welfare of their birds and the future of the sport is well cared for. Anyone not reaching the required standard will simply be encouraged to continue until they do satisfy it. Those areas already passed will not have to be retaken, only those where greater experience or knowledge is desirable.
Why should I take the Beginning Falconry Award?
Apart from helping you attain a level of competence where you can safely keep, train and fly a bird of prey, the Award is part of an intiative to protect the sport from the possibility of further legislation. By demonstrating a capability to monitor the standards within falconry we can pre-empt this being imposed on us.
Additionally we now have the Animal Welfare Act of 2007 which places an on-going responsibility of care on the breeders and vendors of livestock. Anyone selling an animal or bird, to a person who is subsequently found guilty of neglect, cruelty or a failure to care for it properly, will themselves be liable under law and can be prosecuted!
Some breeders are already requiring novice falconers to have the Beginning Falconry Award before being prepared to supply them with birds and this trend is certain to increase. Also some professionals associated with falconry, e.g. falconry centres, pest control services, specialist veterinary practices and agricultural colleges, are requiring this award as a recognised qualification for employment.
Where can I obtain training?
Training is available through Falconry Centres and some of the falconry and Hawking Clubs. Equally you may have an experienced falconer to "mentor" you. Hawkwise Falconry is one of the Approved Assessment Points and Rebecca Friar is our resident Assessor. Happily our existing courses provide all the information that a candidate will need and we are also able to give additional coaching and advice. We welcome both the complete novice and also falconers of every level of experience. Our candidates are steered towards "Falconry: The Essential Guide" as a suitable text book.
Lantra Awards (see the link below) does not provide training but maintains a register of AAPs and can supply details of those in your area.
Where do I have to go to be assessed?
When your workbook is completed we will arrange your practical assessment at the Centre. If you are a novice you are welcome to use our birds to demonstrate your practical skills. On the successful completion of the assessment (confirmed on the day) you will be posted your Beginning Falconry Award.
Is the standard the same wherever I go?
The consistency with which the award is applied is maintained by a team of 5 External Verifiers, each with a responsibility for the AAPs within an area of the UK. We are lucky at Hawkwise Falconry that Steve Wright is one of these. This gives us a head start in becoming truly a "centre of excellence", where we can adopt and implement "best practices".
How much training will I need and how much will it cost?
Because the Lantra Beginning Falconry Award is available to both complete novices, and those who may already be flying and caring for a hawk successfully, there is no fixed training time or fee.
Example 1: The beginner will find that our first three half-day modules provide a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build. These are the Basic & Advanced Hawk Handling and the Basic Hawk Management. We also supply a copy of "Falconry: The Essential Guide" as an easy-to-read reference book. With this, and with telephone and e-mail consultation and coaching, the practical and theoretical content of the course is fully covered. The assessment itself will be a further half day.
Experience has taught us that the amount that needs to be absorbed can be a little daunting at the outset. To avoid "information overload" Rebecca Friar has designed a distance learning format that has proved extremely successful.
She supplies each of the 10 sections of knowledge covered by the Award as an individual item. You will receive the specific areas and questions to be dealt with, along with pointers to the appropriate sources of information. On receiving your completed answers Rebecca then reviews them and highlights any areas where your knowledge is faulty or would benefit from greater depth. With this response as a guide you then submit your updated answers. These should be satisfactory as proof of your competence and you will then receive the next section to be dealt with. In this way you steadily build up a complete workbook that you have researched yourself and will always have as a reference in the future.
Those candidates who have followed this format have achieved an admirable standard and have found the whole learning experience to be an enjoyable and positive process.
Costs: There is an intial charge of £45 for the provision, review and assessment of the first section and for a copy of "Falconry: The Essential Guide". Subsequent sections are charged at £25 although one is wholly practical and is covered by the course fee. Any course modules you attend are charged at £60 per half day and there is a Registration Fee. The total cost is £420 spread over a period.
Example 2: A practicing falconer might only need a review of their submitted workbook to ensure that it fulfils the requirements of the award and the Assessment itself. This, with the registration fee, would only total £150.
Contact Hawkwise Falconry on 01455 293341 or email hawkwise.falconry@yahoo.co.uk
Also visit www.lantra-awards.co.uk