Coach Education    National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Launched in 1970, the NCCP is a partnership between the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and more than 60 national sport federations and their provincial and territorial sport associations. As Canada’s recognized training and certification program, the NCCP serves a wide range of coaches — from those who introduce beginners to sport to those working with high performance athletes. In response to an extensive evaluation, the program has been going through a major re-development since the late 1990s. Key to these changes is a shift in emphasis from “what a coach knows” to “what a coach can do.” In the new, competency-based system, training and certification programs are based on the clearly defined needs of participants. The New NCCP System – Some Basic Facts a. The new approach incorporates both a method of teaching coaching courses and method of assessment of people taking courses. b. The actual teaching of the courses will focus more on the needs of the participants and involve them more in the learning process. It will be more ‘hands on’ than before c. When assessing candidates there will be a greater emphasis on practical coaching ability rather than written tests. That is, certification is based on a proven ability to do versus simply to know. The New NCCP Model The new NCCP model for rugby is made up of two streams and four contexts, each with its own coaching requirements. The table below shows which contexts have been identified by Rugby Canada:</span> Stream 1 – Community Sport Coaches in the Community Sport stream typically become involved on a voluntary (and often short-term) basis because their children participate in rugby. In rugby they work with children on a non-contact version of the game. Stream 2 – Competition Coaches in the Competition stream usually have previous coaching experience or are former players. They tend to work with players over the long term to improve performance, sometimes in preparation for provincial, national, and international competitions. Training and Certification A coach is described as: Trained – after s/he has attended a rugby coaching certification course'; Certified – when a coach has completed all evaluation requirements for a context. Certified coaches are recognized as meeting or exceeding the same high standards embraced by more than 60 national sport federations in Canada. Certification is a benefit shared by parents, players, sport organizations, and our communities. To check your certification status, please visit the Coaching Association of Canada website at www.coach.ca. Competition – Introduction Context The goals of the Competition – Introduction course are to promote fun, fitness, fundamentals, and performance among beginning and intermediate players who are either youths or adults. This course replaces the Levels 1 and 2 Theory courses of the old, knowledge-based program. Following completion of all training, a coach can choose to become certified in the Competition – Introduction context through an evaluation process managed and coordinated by Rugby Canada and the Provincial Unions. For details on becoming trained or certified in the Competition – Introduction context please contact Rugby Nova Scotia's Director of Rugby, Glenn Johnston at rugby@sportnovascotia.ca. Community Sport – Initiation Context Recognizing the value that Canada’s 1.2 million volunteer coaches bring to our communities, the CAC and its partners announced the launch of the NCCP Community Sport – Initiation context in October 2004. These coaches are often the parents of participants and usually hold down full-time jobs, so they have limited time for training. The program focuses on essentials over one day, placing emphasis on safety, fun, ethics, teamwork, and values beyond the game. Training helps volunteers foster love of the sport, promote participation and teach basic skills to beginners through a variety of activities. To sign-up for a Community Sport – Initiation course, please contact Rugby Nova Scotia's Director of Rugby, Glenn Johnston at rugby@sportnovascotia.ca. Rugby Coach Education in Canada: The State of the Art The transition to the new NCCP is no small task and if it is any consolation we are one of the leading sports in Canada in progress made. We are into the home stretch with both the most basic course which addresses coaching non-contact rugby to children (the ‘Community Sport - Initiation Coaching Course’) and the course that will have the most relevance to people who want to coach high school rugby and club rugby (‘Competition - Introduction Coaching Course’ – which is essentially replacing the ‘old’ Level 1 and 2 courses). The ‘Community Sport - Initiation Coaching Course’ is currently being reviewed by the NCCP and is expected to be fully approved shortly. Ahead of it being fully approved, a number of ‘pilot’ versions of the course have been taught across Canada. There are also a number of people across Canada who have been trained to teach this course (they are now called Learning Facilitators). The ‘Competition - Introduction Coaching Course’ is complete and is being delivered in every province. While the ‘old’ courses had a separate ‘NCCP Theory’ component, the new course will eventually integrate theoretical components. However the Making Ethical Decisions module is offeredin Nova Scotia by Health Promotion & Protection. Information on this course can be found at http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/physicalactivity/publications/nationalcoachingbrochure.pdf FAQs How do I get certified right now as an NCCP rugby coach? You will find it difficult to find the ‘old’ Level 1 and 2 courses still being delivered although some provincial unions may still run some. If they are available it wouldn’t hurt to take them but bear in mind that, as with the ‘new’ courses, certification will have expiry dates from now on – meaning that coaches will need to be re-evaluated periodically under the new system. Level 3 courses are still being delivered (again check your websites) across Canada. This is because the ‘new’ Competition - Development course has yet to be developed. However, people who take this course will receive significant credit for their training when the new course comes on-line. The Level 3 course is already being redesigned along NCCP delivery and assessment principles. Will I lose my ‘old’ NCCP qualifications now that the ‘new’ courses are replacing them? No, you will not lose your old certification. You will still remain on the NCCP database for 10 more years. What’s the point of going to other coaching clinics I see advertised here and there? In addition to the NCCP certification courses both Rugby Canada and the provincial unions are running various other coaching courses. These are simply aimed at helping coaches improve their skills. These are separate to the NCCP courses but are extremely valuable and often feature world-famous coaches who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. What’s the difference between being a ‘trained’ coach and a ‘certified’ coach? A person who has attended an NCCP coaching course is designated as having been trained. That person becomes certified when they have satisfied an assessor that they have demonstrated competencies in a number of specific areas – these are clearly laid out for all to see and understand. These statuses are recorded in the NCCP database.