UKCC Level 3
Certificate Coaching Swimming Outline
The UKCC Level 3 Certificate for Coaching Swimming is the 3rd level in the coaching education pathway. The Level 3 Certificate focuses coaches on developing performance along the continuum from age group through youth to senior levels. Coaches will complete the learning units; but will apply them and will be assessed in the coaches’ home programme. We recognise that swimmers develop and coaching positions and environments change so the focus is very much on being able to develop and fulfil the potential of the swimmers. They will also have the opportunity to see these skills being applied in a National programme context and will be integrated into these sessions as a valuable coaching experience.
We are fortunate to be able to have recognised experts in specific fields and experienced coaches with proven track records delivering the course. It must be stressed however, that the certificate is only part of the process in increasing your skill set and knowledge in the development of performance at various stages. Ongoing licensing, CPD, mentoring, attendance at conferences, research and attendance at National programmes and Championships are essential to help you fulfil your potential as a coach.
The swimming teacher/coach pathway can be illustrated using Figure 1 below:
Figure 1: The Swimming Teacher/Coach Pathway
Who is the UKCC Level 3 Coaching Swimming qualification for?
§ Existing ASA Club Coach looking to progress to next level / Yes ü
§ UKCC Level 2 Coaching Swimming with club coaching experience / Yes ü
§ UKCC Level 2 Teaching Aquatics or ASA Level 2 Teacher Units 1 – 4 with considerable club coaching experience / Yes ü
§ Equivalent qualification and experience in swimming coaching / Yes ü
Success in delivering the UKCC Level 3 Coaching Swimming certificate in the past seven years, and the ASA Club Coach certificate (Swimming) and ASA Coach Certificate prior to that, suggests that there is a healthy demand for a progressive swimming coach education system in Scotland.
Unlike UKCC Levels 1 & 2, the overall responsibility for co-ordinating, planning and delivering Level 3 Coaching Swimming in Scotland rests centrally with Scottish Swimming. This is due to the scale of the programme, locus of demand and the need to align an overall Course Director and mentor programme to the process.
Each of the initial ten (10) units will be delivered at the National Swimming Academy (NSA) in Stirling. Figure 2 shows the programme of content which will be delivered in a progressive manner. The dates for the delivery of the course in 2018 are illustrated in Appendix A. The intention for delivery of these units is to integrate new knowledge with practical coaching application and where possible, the modules will be integrated with the Scottish Swimming Performance Development Programme, including stroke camps, testing and education sessions. Unit 11 encompasses the final assessment process which takes place in each coach’s home programme after successful completion of the previous ten.
A successful and popular feature of the Level 3 programme is the involvement of leading coaches and support staff in the delivery of units. Under the overall guidance of the Course Directors, invited speakers are given the opportunity to share best and innovative practice. Each unit is considered as a stand-alone learning episode, although some may be delivered together over a weekend in a blended approach to assist learning. Further input by experts in specific fields, e.g. Sports Psychology, is provided in an effort to present coaches with up-to-date knowledge and research.
Coaches, on return to their home based programmes, will then work through the tasks set in the candidate log book/ OneFile eportfolio in line with the assessment milestones also outlined in Appendix A. In addition to this, coaches will be practically supported by an agreed mentor who is appointed according to each coach’s individual circumstances and learning plan. The mentor will be recognised by Scottish Swimming as someone with the appropriate skills and experience to assist with coach learning and development. Each coach will have a negotiated amount of support from their mentor, which will include time spent at training and competition.
All interested coaches are asked to register for the 2018 course by completing and returning the attached Application Form by Monday 13th November 2017.
Please note: Following the above closing date all applications will be reviewed and short listed. Applicants will be notified with details on the status of their application once the review process has been completed.
Priority will be given to Coaches working in Scotland and applicant selection is at the discretion of the panel.
Please also note that this course is heavily subscribed each year; to best support your application please ensure you complete each section of your application form in full.
Course Attendance
Scottish Swimming’s Level 3 course is the highest qualification within coaching in Scotland and as such the content and delivery is very intense and attendance at all units/sessions is required.
If you cannot attend parts of the course the modules that are missed must be completed in the following year’s course.
It is the candidate's responsibility to ascertain and make themselves available for all elements of the course. (Timetable is provisionally confirmed in November of the preceding year). All attendance arrangements should be organised with the Course Directors.
In addition to completing all course and assessment content in order to achieve the qualification, a minimum of 90% course attendance is one of the approval criteria for Sport Scotland Subsidy (this can be over the 2 years.
Scottish Swimming understand that there may be unforeseen circumstances which mean that some small aspects of the course are not attended. All effort must be made to contact the Course Directors at the earliest convenient time to inform them of any instances effecting attendance. In these cases the action plan for completion will be on a case by case basis.
Course cost and funding information:
The full cost for this course is £1250.00 per candidate; this amount should be paid ASAP following notification of course acceptance.
Those who successfully gain entry to the course are eligible to apply for subsidy funding.
Applications for funding must be made directly to SportScotland at least four weeks prior to the start of the course; retrospective applications will not be accepted. SportScotland will support a variable scale of 60%, 40%, 20% or Zero of the candidate course fee at UKCC Level 3 and 4. Subsidy will be allocated per candidate, against SGB endorsed applications and based on the funding principles and coach support criteria being met.Please note that subsidy funding is not guaranteed. Please visit the Scottish Swimming and Sport Scotland websites for further information and guidance on funding applications.
https://www.scottishswimming.com/
https://sportscotland.org.uk/funding/ukcc-subsidy-for-coaches/
Should you wish to apply for funding, please complete and return the attached form with your course application. Accepted candidate funding applications will be processed, rejected applications will be destroyed.
Please see Appendix B - Example completed Subsidy application form at the end of this document.
Application Form
UKCC Subsidy: Level 3 and 4
Introduction
Welcome to the process for applicants aspiring to achieve a UKCC Level 3 and 4 coaching qualification. Eligible applicants can access funding towards the achievement of qualifications delivered in Scotland, or the UK, by the recognised Scottish or National governing body of sport respectively.
sportscotland will support a variable scale of 20%, 40% or 60% of the candidate course fee at UKCC Level 3 and 4. Subsidy will be allocated per candidate, against SGB endorsed applications and based on the funding principles and coach support criteria being met.
Please complete this form and submit it electronically to: or by post to coach education, sportscotland, Doges, 62 Templeton Street, Templeton on the Green, Glasgow, G40 1DA.
Successful applicants will receive a confirmation letter. This can be used as part payment towards your course and will be sent to you electronically within 10 days of receipt of application. A hard copy of this letter can be sent to you on request.
Application process
1. Complete your information details on this form.
2. Submit the completed form at least four weeks in advance of the start date of the course to sportscotland as detailed above.
3. You will receive an electronic notification letter, detailing your subsidy within 10 working days of receipt of the application.
4. Print your confirmation letter and forward this as part payment for the course to the course organiser. A hard copy of the letter can be sent to you on request. (Note some sports require candidates to pay for courses in full in advance before claiming the subsidy afterwards.)
Eligibility Criteria
5. Applicants must demonstrate coaching activity within 6 months of applying for the subsidy (minimum activity supported will be one to four hours per week) and that they will continue to coach in Scotland as part of a recognised sports programme.
6. The course being attended must be registered and recognised on a UK framework (your course organiser can confirm this).
7. Applicants should evidence what impact this qualification will have on their school, club or community.
Recommendations
8. That applicants are/or become, registered to, or a member of, their respective Scottish governing body. Some sports require this before you undertake any coach education qualifications.
9. Applicants become members of the ‘Protection of Vulnerable Groups’ (PVG) scheme where appropriate. Sports Governing Bodies assess roles against the criteria for Regulated Work under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Schemeand where relevant ask newly appointed coaches to join the scheme, your sport will advise whether this is required.
Applicant DetailsFirst Name / Surname
Date Of Birth / Gender / Male Female
Address Line 1 / City
Address Line 2 / Postcode
Address Line 3
Governing Body
Governing Body Membership Number
Telephone / Mobile
Course Details
Course Title
Course Code (available from course provider) / Course Completion Date
Course Venue
Course Dates / Course Organiser
Full Course Cost (excluding accommodation and travel). Where multiple modules or components are required to achieve the qualification, please list each component and cost.
Have you accessed or applied for other funding for this Qualification / Yes No / If yes please outline
Coach’s Status (please provide information on the status of your current coaching role)
Full time, part time paid or volunteer (tick all that apply) / Full time paid coach / Part time paid coach
Part time volunteer coach / Other:
Coaching Qualifications (please provide information on your current coaching qualifications)
Formal coaching qualifications / UKCC Level 1 / UKCC Level 2
UKCC Level 3 / Other
Award Title:
Coaching Role (please provide information on the environment in which you are currently coaching)
Main coaching environment / School/Children’s / Club/Participation
Performance Development / Performance
Role title (e.g. Head Coach, Assistant Coach):
Please provide further details of who you are coaching (e.g. name of club/school/age grade national team):
Additional coaching environment (if applicable) / School/Children’s / Club/Participation
Performance Development / Performance
Role title (e.g. Head Coach, Assistant Coach)::
Please provide further details of who you are coaching (e.g. name of club/school/age grade national team):
Coaching Commitment (please provide information on your current and planned coaching activity)
Current coaching commitment / 1-4 hours per week / 5-9 hours per week
10-19 hours per week / 20 plus hours per week
Planned coaching commitment after qualification / 1-4 hours per week / 5-9 hours per week
10-19 hours per week / 20 plus hours per week
Personal Support information (please provide further information on your aspirations as a coach. 150 word limit within each section)
Please describe how this qualification will support your current/future coaching role.
What impact will this course have on your development as a coach?
Additional supporting information
Prior to submitting your application for subsidy, your SGB are required complete the supporting information section below. This should be sent to the individual with a lead responsibility for coaching within the SGB and completed in full before you submit the application to sportscotland.
SGB Support information (please provide supporting information on why this coach is important to the coaching pathway of your Governing Body)First Name / Surname
Designation / Name of organisation
Email / Mobile
Please evidence how and where this coach features as part of your workforce planning
What impact will this coach have on your coaching pathway? (both now and in the future)
Additional supporting information
Applicant Signature (When submitted electronically, please insert your name and date) / Date
SGB Support Signature (When submitted electronically, please insert your name and date) / Date
Data Protection
The information provided by you will be processed by sportscotland, which as data controller is responsible for it. The information will be processed to help sportscotland perform its functions including: to work out whether you are eligible for support, assessing that the funding allocated is contributing towards the key aims originally outlined (deployment and making an impact on the community), to collect equality information on the individuals receiving funding and to monitor coaches, ensuring transition along the coaching pathway. sportscotland may contact you by post, telephone, fax or email in connection with these purposes. sportscotland will keep your personal information so we can audit our assessment of funding. sportscotland has a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use and share the information you provide in the application form with your associated governing body for the purposes of verifying that you are eligible for support and in order to prevent and detect fraud.
Terms and Conditions of Use
· sportscotland will assess your application and send you a letter if you are entitled to funding from us.
· Please note that sportscotland will be monitoring the use of the funding by applicants and maintains the right to ask for applicants to return the funding should the criteria not continue to be met.