UKCC
We at Monklands Canoe Club are becoming increasingly concerned about the effect that the new coaching scheme may have on our Club and on Scottish canoeing generally. This letter is to request that the SCA carry out a review of the new scheme.
We’re well aware that a great deal of time and effort has gone into the development of the new scheme, and are proud of the fact that members of the SCA have made a disproportionate contribution to this scheme.
However, we are worried about the effect the new scheme may have on the future of our Club. Here at Monklands we are currently in the fortunate position of having a healthy body of coaches qualified under the old scheme. These coaches are generally unwilling to transfer to the new scheme. We have been unable to identify any member desiring to enter coaching under the new scheme. However, the Club needs to be able to access coach development. We have benefited hugely from being able to follow and use BCU coaching methods and qualifications, and our coaching will stagnate if we are unable to access training and new ideas.
Our principal concerns are:
1. The cost and particularly the time required to obtain qualifications under the new scheme is not proportionate to need. We feel that excellent has become the enemy of sufficient. We’re aware that grants are available in the short term, but we cannot rely on short-term grants for a scheme which is intended to be in place in the long term.
2. Previous reviews of the new scheme have concentrated only on the benefits of the scheme. Any change will benefit some, and disadvantage others. We’d like to understand what proportions of Scottish paddlers fall into these two categories.
3. The remit of coaches trained under the new scheme does not let them provide a useful input to club coaching at the lower levels. Specifically, a new L1 cannot deliver Paddlepower or assess 1*, and a new L2 cannot deliver moderate water coaching without substantial extra paid-for training, or assess 3*. L3 seems irrelevant to a typical Club coach.
4. While we understand the usefulness of coaches being trained in more than one craft, we question the ability of someone with a generic 2* to deliver coaching for the craft in which they do not have their 3*.
5. It seems to us that the new scheme may be appropriate to commercial or competitive organisations, but not to recreational paddlers. We believe that recreational paddlers make up the majority of the SCA.
We call on the SCA to set up a review to determine whether the new scheme is appropriate for recreational clubs such as ourselves, or whether it needs modification. It should address the question whether and for whose benefit paddling coaching needs to be aligned with the UKCC. We suggest that the review body should be composed of Scottish paddlers not associated with the development of the new scheme. We’d be disappointed if the SCA did not consult Scottish recreational clubs before deciding on the need for a review. We in Monklands would very much like to contribute to this review.
We regard this letter as an open letter to the SCA, and may circulate it among other Scottish paddlers. We’d like your response to be similarly open.
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