Maintaining Instructor-Trainer Certification
As leaders in the paddling community, ITs have additional responsibilities to the paddling community and Paddle Canada. These include meaningful contribution to the growth and development of the program, and to their local paddling community, as well as development of instructors and other instructor-trainers.
Maintaining IT certification allows the IT to offer Paddle Canada sanctioned skill and instructor courses and to use the Paddle Canada name and logo, per the Paddle Canada Logo & Trademark Policy.
The IT certification period expires on December 31st of the fourth year from the date of certification, provided the annual requirements are met as outlined below.
Annual Requirements
- Maintain annual membership in Paddle Canada.
- Attend an annual IT meeting in person or via teleconference for each applicable discipline (camping, canoe, river kayak, sea kayak or stand up paddleboard).
Quadrennial Requirements
The IT has until December 31st of the fourth year following certification, or certification renewal, to complete the following:
- Register, teach and report at least one Paddle Canada instructor course.
- Complete two of the professional contribution options below. Instructor-trainers can complete two different options, or the same option twice provided they are distinct.
- Option 1: Mentor an apprentice IT on one course (does not apply to apprenticeships used in point 1. above).
- Option 2: Register, teach and report a professional development clinic.
- Option 3: Successfully complete another Paddle Canada instructor trainer certification.
- Option 4: Create a relevant and approved (by the PDC) instructor resource (meaning an article or video dealing with skills applicable to that stream).
Once all of the above quadrennial certification renewal requirements are achieved, all of your instructor trainer certifications are renewed for a period of four years from December 31st. Maintaining IT certification automatically maintains all instructor certifications. This policy will be reviewed in 2025.
Lapsed Status
- Instructor-trainers who do not maintain the annual requirements will automatically have their IT certification status changed to lapsed.
- To regain active certification, the lapsed instructor-trainer who is in their first year of default must complete the annual requirements. The lapsed instructor-trainer who is beyond one year of default must complete the annual requirements and pay the lapsed surcharge.
Inactive Status
- Instructor-trainers who do not complete all of their quadrennial requirements will automatically have their IT certification status changed to inactive.
- An inactive instructor-trainer must be a current instructor member of Paddle Canada before the reactivation process is started.
- To regain active certification, the inactive IT must audit and be assessed on at least one full instructor course taught by a qualified IT. The reactivation will be at a level not higher than that of the registered course.
Retired Status
- After two years of holding an inactive certification, that is a total of six years since their previous certification or certification renewal, the IT’s certification status will be changed to retired.
- To regain active certification, the retired IT must undertake the normal provisions of an IT apprenticeship.
Last Updated: May, 2021
