Adult Uniform Left Front Devices for Training Awards/Keys

There is a separate page which explains how the program devices are used on the Youth Religious emblem square knot; however, that is not the most common usage of the small devices shown below.

Edward B. Davis wrote and asked:

In your section on devices on square knots, there is nothing about the devices for the Scouters Training Award which can be awarded to several positions.

I had thought that I covered it, but I have failed to do so, Ed, which is why I've created this page.

The original reason why the program devices were designed was so they could be attached to either the Scouters' Key Award (for the primary Scouter - the Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Advisor, Skipper and later Commissioners, Coaches and volunteers serving on the District level) or the Scouters' Training Award (for the Scouters assisting the primary Scouter).

By attaching the device to the ribbon of the Scouters' Key Award or Scouters' Training Award medal, the award becomes the Scoutmaster Key Award, or the Skipper's Key or the Scouters' Training Award as a Boy Scouter...

Here is a summary of how to wear the devices on the Scouters' Training Award and Scouters' Key Award medals and on the knot emblems representing those awards:

Cub Scouting:

The Cubmaster Key was awarded to Cubmasters until 1978. Those Cubmasters who earned the Key may wear the small Cub Scout program device centered on the ribbon of the medal and on the Key knot emblem. Cubmasters earning the present Cubmaster (Training) Award, do NOT wear any device on the Cubmaster (Training) Award knot emblem.

The Cub Scouter's Training Award was awarded to Cub Scouting volunteers until 1978. Those volunteers earning the old Cub Scouters' Training Award may wear the small Cub Scout program device centered on the ribbon of the medal and on the Training Award knot emblem. Cub Scouters earning the present Cub Scouter (Training) Award do NOT wear a device at all on the present Cub Scouter (Training) Award knot emblem.

Boy/Varsity Scouting:

Scoutmasters since 1931 who have earned the Scoutmaster's Key Award, may wear the small Boy Scout program device centered on the Scouters' Key Award medal ribbon and on the Scouters' Key Award square knot emblem.

Assistant Scoutmasters and other volunteer Scouters at the Boy Scout unit level who have earned the Scouters' Training Award since 1931 may wear the small Boy Scout program device centered on the Scouters' Training Award medal ribbon and centered on the Scouters' Training Award knot emblem.

The program device is also worn centered on the Scoutmaster Award of Merit knot emblem since it may also now be earned by Varsity Scout Coaches and Venturing Advisors and Skippers.

Since 1989, Varsity Team Coaches wear the small Varsity emblem centered on the Scouters' Key Award if they have earned the Key; Assistant Team Coaches and other volunteer Varsity leaders may wear the Varsity device centered on the Scouters' Training Award medal and/or the knot emblem upon earning the Training Award. The small Varsity emblem is also worn centered on the Coaches' Award of Merit knot emblem.

OLD/CONTEMPORARY Exploring:

Before the Contemporary Exploring program, Explorer Advisors of Posts and Squadrons also placed their program devices on the various training awards as well. When the Contemporary Exploring program came into life, the medals were replaced with lapel pins for the Exploring Advisor Key and the Exploring Leaders' Training Award. Exploring leaders could still wear the square knot emblem on the field uniform.

Venturing/Sea Scouting:

With the elimination of Exploring and it's replacement with Venturing, the Venturing Advisor wears the Venturing device centered on the Training Award, the Venturing Advisor Award of Merit, and Advisor Key Award knot emblem in a similar manner as those previous Exploring leaders wore the Exploring device centered on the Key or Award knot emblems.

Sea Scouting (and before that, Sea Exploring) leaders wear the Skippers' Key Award and the Sea Scouter Training Award with the small Sea Exploring/Sea Scouting device in a similar manner to the Scouters' Key and Scouters' Training Award listed above in the Scoutmaster category. Those few Skippers earning the Skippers' Key and were given the opportunity to wear a dark blue and white Skippers' Key knot emblem representing the old Skippers' Key Award do NOT wear a device with that knot emblem, since only Skippers may earn the Skippers' Key Award. The knot emblem does not exist any more.

District Volunteers and Commissioners:

District volunteers and Commissioners earning the Training Award or the Key in their roles may wear either the District Volunteer device or the Commissioner device centered on the ribbon of the medal and on the square knot emblem as outlined for other roles above.

What is the device for those who earned it as a member of the Cub Scout Roundtable Staff? Would this be a commissioners device or what?

Depends on your Council, Ed.

Some Councils STILL consider Roundtable Staff members as Commissioners; the BSA has quietly tried to remove the word "Commissioner" from Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Venturing Roundtable Commissioner Staffs. They've been half successful. This is also the reason why in some Councils, the Wreath of Service normally used to denote Commissioners are removed in the case of the Roundtable Staff members.

If your Council STILL consider you as part of your District's Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner's Staff, then you should wear the small Commissioner device with the Scouters' Training Award to indicate you have received the Award as a Commissioner.

If your Council NO LONGER consider you as a Commissioner and recognizes everyone as "Cub Scout Roundtable Staff members", then you should wear the Committee device (the small device with the first class emblem in the center of a disk...it looks like a Commissioners' emblem without the wreath) on the Scouters' Training Award to indicate you have received the Award as a Staff Member/Committeemember.

The same device worn on the medal should be worn on the square knot emblem as shown above.

No device is worn on the Commissioner Award of Merit knot emblem. Scoutmasters, Varsity Scout Coaches, and Venturing Crew Advisors and Sea Scout Skippers may wear the small Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Venturing or Sea Scouting program device representing their program on the center of the white Award of Merit knot emblem.

Professionals earning the Professional Circle and the current Chief Scout Executive Award wear the small Boy Scout program device centered on the Professional Training Award knot emblem.

All other uses of program devices to denote a second or subsequent award of a particular TRAINING award is NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED by the Boy Scouts of America while it may make sense for some Scouters to wear the small Universal (the Boy Scout) program device to denote a second award of the District/Division Award of Merit, for instance.

Thanks, Ed, for bringing this to my attention and for helping out a lot of Scouters by asking your question!!

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