From September 2020, sports coaches across Scotland will start to see the Scottish Coaching Certificate replace the recently retired UKCC coaching qualifications.
Created in partnership with Scottish governing bodies of sport (SGBs), this new coaching framework has been developed by sportscotland and is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and certified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
Nikki Stewart from RYA Scotland, who chaired the qualification design team for the new framework, told us; “It’s exciting to have been part of this new approach from such an early stage. The whole project has been a great example of partnership working across the sporting system and across sports to ensure we developed a qualification that meets the needs of our existing and new coaches. It gives us a fantastic opportunity to integrate coaching qualifications with the education sector which will really help develop coaching in Scotland.”
Integrated approach
One of the major differences of the new qualification is the connection with education and this integrated approach was a deliberate move from the design team as Rebecca Hope from Netball Scotland highlighted; “I can’t wait to see the new qualification in action across our network of netball coaches. One of the great things is that it is integrated within the education sector which supports our ambition to develop world class coaches across all sports. The new approach takes sports coaching qualifications to a wider group of people and supports the commitment from sport to continually drive excellence in coaching.”
sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris is delighted that partners across the sporting system in Scotland have worked together to make this happen; “Thanks to the collaboration with CIMSPA and SQA, the new coach education framework will be portable and recognised across the UK. Input from SGBs and partners in education has been key in developing this new approach to coaching qualifications which will support more people to develop effective coaching skills.
"An integrated approach like this shows the strength of the sporting system and highlights the benefits of partnership working.”
Built upon sportscotland’s Effective Coaching Map, the new approach will support coaches to be confident at what they do by identifying relevant skills, knowledge and behaviours tailored to the people they are coaching and carried out in the most effective way.
While the UKCC logo will no longer appear on coaching certificates, all existing UKCC qualifications will remain valid with a plan that all sports will be integrated into the new Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) sports coaching qualifications, by the end of March 2023. The new coach education framework has been recognised by Community Leisure UK (Scotland) and Leisure Trusts as a passport to employment and deployment within the sporting system and it is helpful to remember that job advertisements, job descriptions, and job evaluations should reflect this when making reference to industry recognised qualifications.
Find out more
To help coaches understand more about the new Scottish Coaching Certificate we have created a list of questions and answers.
