The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is a coach training and certification program for 67 different sports and is offered in both official languages across Canada.   NCCP workshops are designed to meet the needs of all types of coaches, from the first‐time coach to the head coach of a national team.  

The NCCP is the recognized national standard for coach training and certification in Canada. As part of the program, all coaches are trained in ethical decision‐making and sport safety.  The National Coaching Certification program is a collaborative program of the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, national, provincial, territorial sport organizations, and the Coaching Association of Canada.

What are these new levels and how do they compare to the old?

The new levels of the program are listed below, with the level of swimmer the program is designed to train coaches for, and finally, the corresponding level from the old numbered program.

 
DOWNLOAD Summary of new NCCP Program

Advanced and Master Certification

The new NCCP program will see the introduction of "Advanced" and "Master" level certification for coaches at each level.

Coaches are encouraged to become experts at coaching in the context where they work, as this provides the best possible environment for the swimmers and coaches under their care. Specific training and evaluation will be available for coaches pursing these advanced certification levels.

* See Transition NCCP Old to NCCP New located under "QUICK LINKS" in the Right Menu bar for more in information.

Finding the coaching level that fits your needs:

The new coaching program was designed to train and evaluate coaches working with swimmers at different stages of their development.

When determing what level of coaching certification is needed to work with a certain group of swimmers, a few important questions are;

• What level are the swimmers at - what age and development stage, what skill level, what competitive and commitment level?
• What coaching competencies are most important to allow a swimmer at this stage of development to improve and maximize their potential over the long term?
• Will the coach be coaching alone or under the tutelage of a more qualified mentor coach?
• What are the Provincial and/or National requirements for a coach working with this level of swimmer, and in this coaching environment?

References to the long term athlete development stage are provided in the table above.   For more information, you may review the Long Term Athlete Development resources provided in the right hand menu of this page.

Your Provincial Swimming Organization will have policies regarding coaching education and membership.   Swimming Canada has policies that are set out as minimums - see the National Registration Policy & Procedures document on the Swimming Canada website (Member Services / Registration).