New Competency Based NCCP

Transition to Competency Based NCCP

The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is undergoing a transition to a competency-based approach to coach training.

The key improvements of a competency-based NCCP include:

• A greater emphasis on coach abilities; certification based on a proven ability to do versus simply to know.
• A structure for the program that is able to accommodate differences between sports, types of coaches, and environments in which coaches work.
• Coach training and certification based on the needs of the participants and made as experiential as possible.

The new NCCP model distinguishes between training and certification:
Coaches can participate in training opportunities to acquire or refine the skills and knowledge required for a particular coaching context as defined by the sport. However to be certified in a coaching context, coaches must be evaluated on their demonstrated ability to perform within that context in areas such as program design, practice planning, performance analysis, program management, ethical coaching, support to participants during training, and support to participants in competition.

In the new NCCP system a coach is described as:

• In Training – when a coach has completed some of the required training for a context;
• Trained – when a coach has completed all required training for a context;
• Certified – when a coach has completed all evaluation requirements for a context.

Certified coaches enjoy the credibility of the sporting community and of the athletes they coach. They are recognized as meeting or exceeding the high standards embraced by more than 60 national sport federations in Canada. Fostering confidence at all levels of sport, certification is a benefit shared by parents, athletes, sport organizations, and our communities.

To check your certification status, please visit the Coaching Association of Canada website at http://www.coach.ca/.

Click here for National Coaching Institutes (NCI’S)

The new Cycling NCCP offers coaches training in different contexts appropriate to the stage of development of the athlete. The Cycling Coach Development Model shows how coaching contexts are linked to Long-Term Athlete Development:

Coach Development Model (JPG 1.5 MB)

For each context, there is a Training Pathway which shows the steps toward NCCP Certification:
Coach training pathway: Community Cycling Initiation and Introduction to Competition contexts (JPG 1 MB)

MEMO Challenge evaluation –NCCP ReadytoRace (PDF 194 KB)