Paddlesport Instructor

The British Canoeing Awarding Body Paddlesport Instructor is a great first step for those looking to deliver safe and enjoyable taster/starter sessions based on their group’s needs and aspirations.

The qualification will support the instructor with practical skills such as kitting up a group and getting afloat, initial familiarisation activities, games and activities to support learning and how to use mini journeys to inspire adventure and exploration. This will be enhanced with support on how these sessions can be delivered in a way that is enjoyable, safe and rewarding.

The Paddlesport Instructor qualification is designed for instructors running paddlesport taster/starter sessions within the safety management systems of clubs, centres or other organisations in:

Very Sheltered Water environments
Craft deemed suitable for a first-time experience

The process of completing the qualification aims to help prepare candidates for their first paddlesport instructing role; ‘primed and ready’.

Paddlesport Instructor Overview

Minimum Age

14 years

Prerequisites

Paddlesport Safety and Rescue or Foundation Safety and Rescue Training course
Full National Association membership

Course Length

2 days’ combined training and assessment

APL

If you feel you already have the relevant skills to bypass the prerequisite safety training, log in to your membership record and apply for Accredited Prior Learning.

eLearning

Optional free Instructor eLearning

Course Documents

To view the associated documents for the course, please click here

Registration

You will need to register with your Delivery Centre ahead of your course. Visit your Delivery Centre website for further information (links below).

Find a Course

Visit your Delivery Centre website to find a course near you:

Method of Assessment

There are three specific assessment tasks that are completed during the course:

Professional Standards
Rescue Skills
Personal Skills

Instructor eLearning

The optional eLearning module associated with this qualification is the Instructor eLearning package which has been designed to cover a range of topics relevant to the Paddlesport Instructor.

Find a Course

To find a course in your area, visit your Delivery Centre website by clicking the relevant logo at the bottom of this page:

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Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course

This course was launched on the 4th January and aims to provide paddlers with the key safety and rescue skills required to operate safely and be able to deal with common problems in a sheltered water environment.

The course content focuses on rescuing from the paddlers specific craft and covers equipment, safety frameworks, as well as a range of rescues such as contact and towing rescues, self-rescues and deep water rescues.

Find out more about this course!

Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor

This course was launched on the 4th January and aims to support Instructors running SUP taster/starter sessions and short journeys in very sheltered water environments.

The 2 day course helps to prepare candidates for their first SUP instructing role, ensuring they are ‘primed and ready’ to deliver safe and enjoyable sessions for people new to paddleboarding, within the safety management systems of clubs, centres or other organisations.

Find out more about this course!

Inclusive Language eLearning

This eLearning was launched on the 11th January and will cover the importance of using inclusive language and the impact it can have on those around you.

This module provides an understanding of key terms, definitions and examples of inclusive language; supports learners on how to identify and tackle inappropriate or exclusive language such as banter and microaggressions; and how to challenge it when it happens.

International Webinars

We have held several International webinars throughout the year the first being Paddling in France which was on 15th February 2023, this was then followed by the United States of America on 15th March 2023 we then had Nepal, Norway and the latest one Austria which was on 21st June 2023.

If any resources were used in the webinar you can now find them on the BCAB Digital Library along with the recording of the webinars. Unfortunately Paddling in Norway wasn\’t recorded so that wont be on the Digital Library.

Manual Handling eLearning

This eLearning was launched on the 31st January and will cover different types of manual handling, how we can consider and manage risk and shows the steps we can take when manual handling to better protect our bodies.

Throughout paddlesport, there are many occasions when we are lifting, carrying and moving craft, as well as performing rescues. It’s essential we reflect on current practice and consider whether we are putting ourselves and others in potential danger of damaging joints and muscles, particularly when moving or lifting equipment or people.