Local Cave and Mine Leader Course
Quite a specialist job, though opportunities do exist for people wishing to find employment in caving. Some areas of the UK are better than other for caving, though you should not have to go too far from home to find a cave system.
Local Cave and Mine Leader Assessment (LCMLA)
The scheme is the qualification to obtain if you want to take charge of groups. Safety is by far the most important aspect of the scheme, though conservation is also covered. To take part in the scheme and to gain the award, you should already have some experience of exploring caves, mines or potholes. Training courses will generally include management of groups, emergency situations, safety equipment, as well as conservation and basic geology. It is worth noting that because all cave systems are different, the assessment course you take is designed to be relevant to the local area so you should undertake the training in the area in which you wish to take groups.
The award you are working towards is split into two categories: Level 1 relates to non-vertical cave systems, while Level 2 is for vertical systems with pitches up to 18 meters. And is valid for three years and you must have a current first aid certificate.
The top qualification you can hold, for those who want to be able to lead groups without restriction, is the Cave Instructor Certificate (CIC). Training courses will equip you with the knowledge and skills to lead groups in both horizontal and vertical cave systems. This is not a quickly attained qualification, and a series of modules must be completed before you can be put forward for the award assessment.
Experience
We spoke to Andrew, a member of a caving group in the West Midlands about caving and the LCMLA.
"My interest in caving began in the mid 1970s when I visited a few show caves as a college student. I wanted to learn more about caves and potholing and joined my then local society, who organized a few trips every year to more interesting cave systems than those that we had available locally. It makes sense as part of a group to do a bit of training for emergency situations and rescue procedures so it is something we did anyway, outside of the LCMLA framework. But I did decide to do the assessment to get an officially recognized qualification. At that point caving was still just something I did in my spare time, but I wanted to make more of a contribution to causes like mountain rescue. When I moved to the West Midlands there were more areas where mining had been practiced and left behind some very interesting mines, some of which were open to the public. With the Mine Leader scheme I had to do parts of the assessment again but it was well worth getting the local knowledge and experience. For the past two years I have been taking public groups down a show mine and some school groups on a very basic caving course. It's all voluntary work, but it is great being able to show people around and give them their first experience of caving."
Courses Available
 Local Cave and Mine Leader Award Country: UK designed to give sound, quality training to those working in either a voluntary or professional capacity in the cave or mine environments of the UK. For all of the Local Cave and Mine Leader Awards there is an assumption of personal experience and competence on the part of the candidate prior to attendance...[more] |