|  | Feature: “Recreation Sport and Social Change in Sustainable Community Development” | No.55 January 2009 |
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International Coach Education Standards (ICES) for Sport and Development Ken Black |
The International Coach Education Standards (ICES) is a joint project of UK Sport, the British Council and UNICEF UK, in partnership with countries participating in the wider International Inspiration program, along with key coach education and sport for development agencies. The ICES project sits within the International Inspiration philosophy outlined by the UK Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to create a powerful legacy in development and education through sport linked to the 2012 Olympiad. A parallel mission of International Inspiration is to contribute to the delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of visionary targets aimed at addressing serious issues of poverty, health, education and environment in developing countries. (www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) The ICES vision The aim of the ICES project is to develop an internationally recognised and accredited framework of standards linked to the training and education of sport and development coaches and deliverers. Recognition for coaches trained through national sports federations can have global recognition through the equivalent international federations. No such system currently exists for grassroots coaches and deliverers who use sport as a tool for community development and who have been trained by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other voluntary groups. Although the quality of this training can be very high, there is rarely accreditation beyond that of the NGO, and therefore limited opportunity for these coaches to link the skills they have acquired to more formal sports coach education professional development pathways. The ICES project seeks to redress this situation by working with NGOs, community sports, sports federations and their supporting infrastructures to create skill development pathways for coaches in each participating country. Countries identified in year one of the project are Azerbaijan, Brasil, India, Palau and Zambia. Flexible application It is essential that the standards are applied flexibly in order to accommodate: a range of teaching and training methods; a variety of professional development pathways and coach progressions; varied learning environments; and collaboration of partners involved in sport and sport for development. Mutual learning, support and interchange of expertise can be created if ICES can be established as a vehicle for interface between the sport and sport for development systems. (See Fig. 1) The standards will be endorsed and recognised by the international peak bodies in coach education and for sport and development. Currently, ongoing negotiation involves a partnership of bodies, including the International Council for Coach Education (ICCE), the International Council for Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and Olympic Solidarity (IOC). Figure 1: Sport and Development Continuum How it will work The ICES project consists of two main elements: the development of accredited standards against which coaches working in sport and development can measure their existing skills; supporting educational materials providing ongoing professional development for coaches to boost knowledge and skill development. Organisations, and individuals trained within their networks, can link to ICES accreditation. Where knowledge gaps exist, or where the organisation itself requires capacity building in order to improve the effectiveness of their coach education delivery, additional workshops can be accessed. For example, where a coach is trained through an NGO, additional training can be provided in sports-specific coaching to broaden their skill and knowledge base. Where a coach has been trained through a sports federation, they can access further training to develop their ability to use their sports coaching skills in addressing community development issues. In this way, the ICES project hopes to stimulate more cooperation between the worlds of sport and sport for development, creating mutually beneficial collaborations. Similarly, the ICES standards can also support existing community sports infrastructures where quality assurance is an issue. International developments in coach education The ICES standards project is reflective of current developments in the creation of coach education frameworks, for example, international regional frameworks in Europe and the Pacific, revision of national coach education frameworks, for example, in the UK and Australia, and new developments, as in India. ICES will seek to establish a common interface with these systems, whilst at the same time providing a specific focus (sport and development coach education) with a view to influencing recognition of this workforce across all frameworks. The next stage in ICES development will be to conduct interactive seminars in identified countries. Initial technical input has already been provided by experts in coaching and sport for development resource development, principally by Sportscoach UK and Right to Play. However, key input will be sought from in-country coach educators, NGO training personnel, community development staff and government departments with responsibility for sport, education, health and community issues. Contact Ken Black, Consultant, ICES project Loughborough University Loughborough, UK Email: kenblackemail@gmail.com Ollie Dudfield International Development Officer (Sport) UK Sport Email: Oliver.dudfield@uksport.gov.uk http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 International Coach Education Standards (ICES) for Sport and Development Ken Black