UKC

In reply to UKC News:

6 months climbing experience is all that is required to register to become a coach?

I hope the scheme will remind coaches that they need to be bonded if they are offering 'coaching holidays'. It's a package (coaching + accommodation). See The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992.

In reply to UKC News: Am I right in thinking that this has changed somewhat from what was initially in the pipleline, and will now not be a nationally recognised qualification?

http://www.mountain-training.org/latest-news/coaching-award-scheme-latest-u...

From the above link:

For Level 1 (assistant coach) look out for FUNdamentals of Movement 1 and 2 and the new Coach Education 1 course which has been successfully piloted twice and is set for an expanded delivery programme soon.

For Level 2 (coach), look for the same set of courses plus the FUNdamentals of Training workshop (already up and running and highly recommended to all climbers!) and the Coach Education 2 workshop which we will be piloting early this year.


It was my understanding that these qualifications would be recognised against the government skills agenda (like most other sports are). Have we moved away from this now and going for yet another standalone qualification that won't be recognised by other sporting bodies/employers?

I'm a bit worried that yet another hoop has been created for people to jump through - its not enough to be qualified and experienced you need to continue to pay for courses to teach you what you already know.

I will put myself through at least one of these coaching courses - I would like to be proved wrong and learn new skills but I'm not hopefull...

In reply to UKC News: A bit off on a tangent.

Should the Mountain Training UK and the BMG also put their assessors through a proper course on how to assess people such as courses in Front line assessing.
On talking to some ex and aspirant guides in the last few years the assessment procedure seemed to be a bit roping with different assessors expecting different outcomes from what the candidate was trained in. The aspirant guide had been taught more than one way of carrying out a task by different guides providing the training and then finding that the assessor didn't like the way it was being done even though the outcome was just as safe as the way the assessor was looking for.
At times there also appeared to be personality clashes between assessors and aspirant guides which if a proper assessment was being carried out based on observations and expected outcomes already identified in a rigorous formal process, the personality issues shouldn't have any baring in the pass or fail of the candidate.
The above observations have just been based on a few conversations with a few former aspirant guides who have gone elsewhere for work. But they did highlight that the assessors had no qualifications in assessing other than experience as guides which didn't necessarily make a guide a good assessor.

This probably doesn't reflect the majority of situations but personalities do often get in the way of climbing and the organisations need to find a way of removing this from the assessment process.

I used to provide training in Multimedia for national qualifications and would have been unable to assess them without a First Line Assessors award.

Just a though!

In reply to Lone Rider: Take a look at these courses we offer to outdoor instructors. http://remotefirstaid.com/International-Award-in-Delivering-Training.php

In reply to UKC News:

So to become a coach you only need six moths experience?

Also if I read the bit about Greshams classes they aim to teach you to coach intermediates and elites when you can only onsight 7a yourself? Seriously? I understand that to be a good coach you don't necessarily need to be a brilliant athlete but how can you coach an elite or even an intermediate climber if your own technical climbing ability is at that level?

Dave

In reply to davo:
No to enter the scheme you need to have six months experience. That doesn't mean that an individual will pass the assessment process.

In reply to Paul at work:

I understand that they may not necessarily pass the scheme.

However if the minimum experience required is six months then that would mean that the people running the course believe that it is possible to be a coach or at least begin to be a coach with only six months worth of climbing experience.

In reply to davo:

Its the same at CWA training, if I remember correctly. Remember that 6 months is the minimum requirement. One persons 6 months of climbing experience is very different to anothers.

The action plan that an individual receives between training and assessment will be the important bit, and I would imagine that will vary massively.

And a foundation coach is looking at delivering one off sessions with a development coach providing the overall direction. Have a closer look at the syllabi for both types of coach and what they will be aiming to coach.

In reply to Paul at work:

Hmmm.... You seriously don't believe that six months is enough experience to enter a scheme designed to train you to become a coach in climbing do you? Yes some people will have done a fair bit in their six months but realistically they are complete beginners and don't really know anything about the sport and will almost certainly have dreadful technique and be pretty poor climbers.

I understand that it is an arbitrary number and it is difficult to know where to set the bar but six months?

Sorry I can't be bothered to look up the syllabi for either. If you want to put the up here feel free.

Personally I think it would be better if there was some kind of grade requirement like with the Gresham one. Possibly 7a sport to coach beginners and maybe e2 or 3 trad?

Dave

As far as I understand it the level one coach is a very basic level. Coach is perhaps the wrong word to use as most people understand it. It would cover coaching movement skills in beginner climbers and assisting more qualified coaches with higher performance climbers. No one who passes level one is going to be coaching the national squad or anything like that. Also, the six months requirement is to attend training; there will be a further period of consolidation before the trainee can attend and pass an assessment and then be qualified.