The Leadership and Raft Guide Awards suite align to the British Canoeing Awarding Body Educational Philosophy and support leaders to run safe, quality, enjoyable trips, based on their group’s needs and aspirations.

The Paddlesport Leader is aimed at paddlers who wish to lead groups of mixed craft on both wind affected and slow moving sheltered water.

Informal learning, experience based learning, and an availability of individualised choices are important to developing skilled leaders. To supplement this, British Canoeing Awarding Body provides quality training opportunities for those that seek them. It is important that you take an active role in deciding the appropriate preparation, training and experience that you need prior to presenting yourself for assessment. Guidance is offered below to help you construct this personalised development journey.

British Canoeing Awarding Body Training  

British Canoeing Awarding Body Paddlesport Leader Training courses are available to support you in your development of the required skills. These courses typically cover leadership skills, and the associated personal skills, safety and rescue skills. As this training is delivered by British Canoeing Awarding Body Paddlesport Leader Providers, they will also be able to help you identify an appropriate action plan to support your progress towards a successful assessment. This is the comprehensive option; courses are normally offered as 2-5 day programmes, with longer courses providing more time for you to practice and develop the skills.

Other Training Opportunities  

You may wish to opt for more bespoke training opportunities. For example, private tuition, in-house training through your work place, working alongside/shadowing other Leaders, or conference/symposium workshops. Many British Canoeing Awarding Body Paddlesport Leader Providers are willing to offer bespoke training to individuals or groups of individuals. The benefit of working with a Paddlesport Leader Provider is that they have explicit knowledge of the award requirements. However, there are a great many other experienced Leaders who may be in a position to support your development; the Paddlesport Leader Assessment Guidance,  Checklist and the Leader and Raft Guide Self- Analysis Tool can be used as a steer as to the skills required.

Supportive Resources

There are a range of resources to support you on your journey to becoming a Leader, from the self-analysis tool, to the logbook and journey planning sheet. Explore the resources here.

Methods of Assessment

Upon completion of the Assessment, the course provider will submit successful participants for certification.

Course Documents

To view the associated documents with this course, click here.

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.