Show Ranger Manual Explanation

The Journey depicts the Professional Development process the Ranger follows from day 1 in the job to fully established Ranger and Ranger manager. The Journey is illustrated in the diagram as the journey water makes from source (new start Ranger) to the sea (fully established ranger). The journey the Ranger makes is ‘influenced’ by a number a factors before and during the trip towards the sea and the process is cyclical representing the feedback loops of the process.

Close Explanation

Your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Portfolio

Your portfolio is your personal log of your CPD Journey. Its like a diary to a format that your complete as you develop through your career. We advise that you set aside an A4 ring binder in which you compile a series of development sheets as you progress, completing and printing off as required. Your portfolio is a personal record, but should you wish to gain an award as part of the process you will be required to submit your sheet for verification and approval. Each year you should arrange a review session with your line manager or mentor (you may do this more than once a year) which should fit in with your annual review or appraisal at work. During this, you and you manager/mentor will discuss the portfolio and evidence within it and, in agreement sign off sheets as being both a true and accurate record and as achieving the various elements of a competence. The number of elements within a competence vary between competence areas.

There are two sheets to be completed for each element. The first records your Knowledge and Understanding of the subject of the element, the second, your Evidence and Scope of completion of the element. Each sheet has a number of lines where 'Evidence' - what you have done - is recorded. This might be delivery of a guided walk, a biodiversity project or a training course. You will need several pieces of Evidence to complete an element, i.e. you will need to have demonstrated both your Knowledge and Understanding and the Scope of the element in several work areas before the element can be completed. Each piece of evidence may not cover all areas of the element, but combined, they should.

A third sheet needs to be developed for each piece of evidence. This should be a short (less than 1 side of A4) summary of the task that was undertaken that is included as Evidence. It could be a few lines about a training event - when done, who hosted, where it was, what it was and what your learnt, or it could be a 1 side summary of developing a management plan. You number this evidence, then use this as a reference number to fill in on the sheets to reference your evidence (in the column marked 'Evidence Number'). In the column 'Evidence' you then need to in a single line (if possible!) draw out the area of the evidence that meets the element you are using it to justify.

A single piece of evidence may be referenced against multiple elements and indeed, may well be referenced against multiple competencies at multiple levels as applicable. You only need once evidence sheet per task - this can then be referred to in many places.

Please remember; this is a pilot and we are testing this process out! It is not necessarily the final process, and may well be reviewed and revised before April 2011. Pilot candidates are advised to use the member forum of SCRA-Online to raise any concerns they may have with the process or ask any questions - please do this as it allows us to tackle any problems as soon as they occur. Please do try to use the process during the pilot as closely as possible to aide us in road testing this to the full extent. A worked example is being undertaken and will be posted shortly on this webpage. Currently we only have Specialist Comptency sheets at Level 1 available.

The Specialist Competencies can be viewed here.

Your will need the following blank sheets to complete your portfolio. They are all available in MS Word and can either be typed (preffered) or hand written. You can access the sheets from the list below, or alternatively, from this summary sheet.

All the competencies proposed as part of the Ranger CPD Programme and the various levels, and links to the National Occupation Standards behind the scheme, can be viewed here.