Uncertain about certification?

Fall 2009

Michael Pardy wades into the debate on the merits of certification-based kayak training

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: DOWNLOAD

By Michael Pardy

Certification-based training is increasing in popularity with sea kayakers. More businesses and organizations than ever are offering certification-based training to the public as well as guides and instructors. The impact of certification is obvious to anyone active in the paddling community over the last decade. There has been a measurable advancement in the skills, achievements and diversity of kayakers which is clearly at least partially tied to improvements in training fostered by the demands of certification-based training programs such as those promoted by Paddle Canada and the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC.

Not everyone is happy with this trend in sea kayaking. In a 2004 article titled The Scourge of Certification, John Dowd states “Certification’s principle function, so far as I can tell, is to generate cash for rapacious bureaucracies ... and our favorite pastime shifts from a freedom activity to one of membership in an exclusive club administered by a hierarchy of bureaucrats with an inflated sense of their own importance and competence.”

Dowd’s views are shared by many, especially in the club and youth camp community, where the certification debate has been particularly divisive. Determining who can lead trips and who can go on what trips has always been a challenge for these organizations because they rely on volunteers and younger, lower paid staff. Certification is another potential barrier to recruitment of leaders. Dowd calls it “two classes” of kayakers – those with certification and those without.

Sea kayak guiding and training businesses were the early adopters of certification in Canada. Guides and instructors have obvious ethical and legal obligations to accept, meet and provide minimum standards in leadership to their clients. From this core of support, certification has slowly and steadily expanded throughout the paddling community, sometimes resulting in conflict. The most notable source of friction is between recreational paddlers and commercial guides and instructors, especially in clubs that rely on volunteer leaders. These volunteers are often frustrated by the standards set by the professional paddling community and rightly question the time and cost of achieving certification in the context of a social organization.

There are other challenges with certification. For example, certification tends to privilege clearly defined and observable skills to the detriment of equally, or more important but less tangible abilities such as decision-making, communication, interpersonal skills and problem-solving. Also, evaluations usually occur over a very short period of time within a limited range of environmental challenges and group behaviors. This serves to further privilege tangible skills and quantifiable knowledge.

Also, certification can be a closed loop system, where successful candidates are often developed into instructors and examiners of future candidates. In other words, those that succeed within the system are responsible for perpetuating it. This can limit the creativity and development of new ideas which allows the certification process to adapt to changing needs and to anticipate challenges.

There are also benefits to certification. For example, tangible skills and knowledge are the foundation on which paddlers develop less tangible skills. Certification is a simple way to measure and ensure paddlers possess these foundational skills so that other, less tangible skills such as problem-solving, leadership and decision-making can also be fostered. This is especially important in the context of developing leadership skills.

Furthermore, the certification process is the result of the collective voice of the leaders in the paddling community. It is an articulation of the expectations and responsibilities of its members. As such, the certification process is an opportunity for members to interact with the wider community and be judged and recognized by peers. It is a guard against experts in isolation who profess a high degree of proficiency but have never been measured against the expectations of the wider community. Experts in isolation are a common problem in clubs; certification encourages leaders and paddlers to travel and paddle with others in the wider community. Indeed, this has been one of the most significant accomplishments of paddling certification.

Finally, one of the consequences of the growth in sea kayaking in Canada over the last decade is increased scrutiny by government. Tensions with other user groups such as fishers, powered recreational vessels and commercial interests have pushed sea kayaking onto the political stage. Certification provides legitimacy for paddlers and affords us a seat at the decision-making table. Certification regimes provide a road map to our community for outside persons and agencies which helps ensure a seat at the table when issues affecting the quality of our on-water experiences arise. One recent example is the revised Transport Canada requirements for canoes and kayaks. The credibility of the Paddle Canada training program has fostered an ongoing dialogue between Transport Canada and the paddling community, helping to ensure reasonable rules and regulations.

Certification has been a healthy development in the sea kayaking community in Canada, part of the maturing of the sport. But we must remain skeptical when certification for recreational paddlers becomes the only path into and through the sport. Sea kayaking is a voluntary recreational activity that attracts a wide range of people with a wide range of interests from fishing, to wilderness travel, birding, surfing, and fitness. The freedom and independence at the heart of our sport will be damaged if we attempt to restrict who can paddle where and when.

Michael Pardy lives in Victoria where he runs SKILS Ltd. He can be reached at info@skils.ca