It is a shame that Scouting keeps doing this - it destroys all ceribility for Scouting Activity Authorisations in the world outside of Scouting.
For hill-walking, Scouts use the Mountain Leader as the assessor qualification, everyone else uses the Mountain Instructor Award.
For climbing, Scouts use the Single Pitch Award as the assessor qualification, everyone else uses the Mountain Instructor Award.
For caving, Scouts use the LCLMA (levels 1 & 2) as the assessor qualification, everyone else uses the Cave Instructor Certificate.
Any system where an assessor can assess others to his / her own technical standard (eg an M.L. holder authorising others to M.L. standard) will lack credibility !
Currently Scouting will not produce a register of all their Count Activity Assessors, so no-one knows who they are, or what qualifications they hold; it appears to be up to each Scout County to arrange their own assessment process.
The real shame is that there are some good, competant, enthusiastic Scout leaders out there taking youngsters for some very worthwhile activities to our hills, crags and caves; but their credibility is totaly undermined by faulty assessment system.
Whenever I discuss this, I am told "all Scout Assessors are volunteers," and "things are better now than they used to be."
But surely:- volunteers should be volunteering to do things to the correct standard, and although things are better than they used to be, they can still get better !
Come on Scouts, join the 21st century.