For those who have been an AW for a long time you might not be aware of some "recent" changes. I only signed-up at the beginning of 2022 and received the following:
Your application has been considered and we are pleased to inform you that it has been approved in principle.
To progress your application further, you are now required to attend an AW introductory briefing event where the requirements and role of a DMQ approved witness will be fully explained. This will be followed by a short assessment which after passing, your name and contact details will be added to the DMQ Approved Witness list. This list is made available to those already registered for DSC2 via a secure internet portal.
The provisional dates and locations of the next briefing events are as follows:
· Friday 4 March 2022 – Moffat area, South Scotland.
· Wednesday 16 March 2022 – East Midlands Airport area, England.
Nearer the time, we will write to you again confirming the locations and times of the briefing events and will request an approved witness application fee of £127.00.
So to become an AW I had to attend a briefing and assessment, with only 2 held in 2022 (one for England, the other Scotland) and to pay the £127 application fee. As I live in the South-West, East Midlands airport wasn't close but I did understand DMQ's logic of choosing a central location, but that also incurred expense. At that briefing it was made clear that DMQ needed to conduct regular re-briefings in order to demonstrate to outside bodies (FE, FLS, LANTRA, DEFRA, etc) that their system conformed to recognised training and qualification best practice. I am aware in a similar vein that one of the FSA's concerns with the Trained Hunter LGMHC qualification is that it is not subject to any update, refresher training or re-assessment. Contrast this with EFAW+F where I have now conducted 4 sets of training over the years at not insignificant expense, essentially covering the same ground to demonstrate a current level of training.
Moreover, DMQ admitted that prior to these briefings, there had been limited action in this respect and this was compounded by there being many AWs on the "books" who were inactive or conducted relatively few witnessed stalks over a considerable number of years. The inference was DMQ would be using these briefings to reduce current AWs to those who signed-up and supported these sessions; I was not surprised therefore to see this thread start (and I haven't yet received a similar email).
I won't argue the rights and wrongs of this strategy, but I do understand the need for DMQ to outwardly demonstrate a commitment to updating and refreshing AWs skills and knowledge relevant to the process and assessment. I too do not charge for my services as an AW and similarly enjoy the opportunity to see a candidate confidently demonstrating the required practical skills in the field, paying forward the debt I owe to those who similarly supported me in my early deer stalking journey.
who had already made a name for himself within DMQ, by all accounts.
