Why should I take this training?

Scouting’s outdoor program is a critical part of how the Scouts BSA program develops young leaders. While camping or participating in other outdoor events, your Scouts will challenge themselves to learn skills they’ve never tried before or maybe didn’t think they could do. In doing so, your Scouts will work together as a team to overcome adversity when things don’t go as planned; this is truly the magic of Scouting that no other program does as well.

To safely offer Scouting’s outdoor program, however, you need a certain set of skills and knowledge – and that’s why you’re required to take Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (also known as “IOLS”) Training. You’ll learn how to build a fire, use an axe, cook outdoors, use a map and compass, responsibly care for the outdoors, and much more. Even if you weren’t a Scout as a kid, you’ll come out of this course looking and acting like a seasoned camper. This course, combined with Safeguarding Youth training (or YPT), Hazardous Weather, and the Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster-Specific Training course, will make you an “fully trained” Scouts BSA leader.

Prerequisites: you must be currently registered in a Scouting unit and must be current in Safeguarding Youth training and Hazardous Weather training.

Deadline to register is end of day, September 27th, 2025. Sorry, no late registration will be accepted.

There will be no alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or caffeinated drinks allowed on the property per our agreement with the LDS Church