Become a NNAS Navigator Award Provider

 

Registering to become a provider of NNAS Navigator Awards requires the following:

  • You must read and agree to the Provider Terms
  • You must have the information below before you fill in the Registration Form
  • You will need to supply your registration number for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) data protection register (unless exempt, please check this on the ICO’s website here https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/self-assessment/ )
  • You will need to supply evidence of current Public Liability Insurance – email this to registrations@nnas.org.uk
  • You will need to supply evidence of your Course Director(s) qualifications, first aid, and date of the NNAS Tutor Award attended – email these to registrations@nnas.org.uk
  • Once the required information is submitted, we will email an invoice for the registration fee. Currently, this fee is £121 (includes a £25 set up fee), plus the cost of the second edition Outdoor Navigation handbook for Tutors at £17.50
  • If you wish to be registered for both the Navigator and ODA schemes, the combined cost is £140 (includes a £25 set up fee) plus the cost of the Navigator and ODA handbooks at £17.50 & £15 respectively.
  • For non-UK based organisations wishing to register, please contact the NNAS office in the first instance.
  • You must have all necessary appropriate consents and notices in place to enable lawful transfer of the personal data to NNAS for the duration and purposes of this registration
  • You must have written terms of business in place, including Safeguarding and Equal Opportunity Policies, so that you are in control of liability limits, delivery and other expectations of your Candidates.  You do not need to send these with your application, however NNAS may request to see them.
  • Once you have the above requirements you may fill in the online Registration Form

Please note: If the required qualifications and other documentation is not supplied within one month of submitting the registration form the application will be voided.

Please contact the NNAS office if you have questions that aren’t answered below

Provider FAQs

NNAS Navigator Awards are run by registered organisations and centres (known as Providers) to which candidates apply individually or as a group

Provider accreditation depends upon the qualifications of their Staff members (known as Course Directors) delivering the courses and involves the submission of qualifications to the NNAS committee for approval.  

Course Directors should hold a National Governing Body Award qualification, and ALL Course Directors are required to have undertaken the NNAS Tutor Award.

The accepted qualifications include, but are not limited to : Basic Expedition Leader (level 3), Hill & Moorland Leader Award (previously Walking Group Leader Award), Summer Mountain Leader Award or British Orienteering Coaching Awards. The level of qualification held will determine the NNAS Navigator award level(s) deliverable.

Qualifications issued by other bodies must be approved by the NNAS Board of Trustees.

For an overview of of the requirements at each level, see the NNAS Course Criteria Overview.

Following successful accreditation and payment of the annual registration fee, Providers will receive their annual registration certificate, the NNAS Outdoor Navigation Handbook and further information on operating the scheme.

Providers have access to the website to promote their NNAS Navigator courses, Provider resources, webshop with discounts, support (both technical and administrative) and access to NNAS workshops.

To help keep up to date with navigation training and the NNAS schemes, Providers are encouraged to take part in regional workshops provided by the NNAS.

Digital Navigator certificates are produced for all successful candidates.  Please contact the NNAS National Office for details of NNAS course fees.  Physical A4 quality card certificates and metal pin badges may be purchased by registered course Providers or by candidates via our candidate management system.

The NNAS Gold Navigator Award is considered to be at the same technical level as that required for personal navigation for the Mountain Leader or Walking Group Leader Award. The NNAS Board have drawn up the requirements for those Course Directors wishing to assess at Gold Navigator level. Please contact the office for more advice.

Organisations and Centres who use the NNAS Navigator Awards as a benchmark for the navigational competence of their leaders must have further mechanisms for assessing relevant leadership qualities. The Navigator Awards are for personal performance only, and must not be used as a leadership qualification of any kind.

For example after discussion, Sports Leaders UK now use the Silver Navigator award as part of their Basic Expedition Leader (Level 3) Scheme.

The Navigator Scheme has the Tutor Handbook, “Outdoor Navigation – Handbook for Tutors”. The Outdoor Discovery Award has a handbook, with additional resources under development.

There are regional training and sharing good practice workshops each year organised specially for Providers. The workshops cover the various aspects of the NNAS Navigator syllabus, teaching methods, new developments, etc.

There is a moderation scheme partly in place and partly being developed to help ensure a national standard for each level of the Navigator Awards.

For both schemes (Navigator and ODA) there are a wide variety of navigation teaching books available, listed under resources in the relevant pages of this website.


The NNAS logo may be used by registered Providers on their websites. For links to digital versions of the logo and the conditions of its use, Providers are directed to page 16 of the Provider Terms, “NNAS Intellectual Property Use Policy”.  

NNAS will occasionally check a random selection of Provider’s websites in order to ensure the correct levels of NNAS courses are being advertised. Providers who fail to renew their membership must remove all mention and branding of the NNAS immediately.

The NNAS does not provide insurance. It is the Providers’ responsibility to ensure they have appropriate insurance.

A Brief Guide to NNAS Provider Terms

Below are some of the stand-out changes or actions that aspiring Providers must be aware of. However, it is very important to take the time to read through the complete Terms, as this is not an exhaustive list:

  • Candidate Information Notice: NNAS will issue a personalised Candidate Information Notice to each registered Provider. Providers are responsible for giving this to their candidates. The Notice gives information about NNAS being a data processor and processing activities. The Notice means that Providers do not have to amend their own Privacy Notice to include NNAS processing info.

  • Organisations and Sole Traders must register with the ICO as data controller (clause 11.3, 11.4 Provider Terms). Registering with the ICO is simple to do. Further information and application can be done via the ICO’s websitehttps://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/.

    By law, Providers need to register because as you collect data from your customers, suppliers, and employees (if any), you are a data controller.
    This data is collected and processed for various purposes:

    i. Customers – to fulfil the contract/ bill them / communicate with them etc. ii. Suppliers – to fulfil the contract

    iii. Employees – to fulfil the contract iv. Other – marketing activities.

  • Where the Candidate is under 18 years, a parent / guardian’s email must be collected by the Provider. The Provider must send the parent / guardian the Privacy Notice (stand-alone Privacy Notice is on our websitehttps://nnas.org.uk/privacy-policy/), which contains the information about the processing of data, and copy them into any further correspondence.

  • Providers often need to collect some medical information from their candidates. For this, you will need to manage consent requirements of the data protection legislation. You may already do this, but it would be best to check.

  • Provider must have all necessary appropriate consents and notices in place to enable lawful transfer of the personal data to NNAS for the duration and purposes of this agreement (clause 11.4). You may already have these, but it would be best to check.

  • Providers must have written terms of business in place, including a Safeguarding policy and an Equal Opportunity policy, so that they are in control of liability limits, delivery and other expectations of the Candidate (see Candidate Policy). You may already have this, but it would be best to check.

Skip to content