Education Update – September 2022

August 31, 2022

|By si

Return to school, swimming and routine….

The month of September traditionally brings new opportunities, with children beginning or returning to school, teenagers and adults engaging in further education and we see a return to many sporting activities, including swimming lessons and club activities. Preparation for learning opportunities takes place over the summer months and the Swim Ireland Education team are no different.

We have been reviewing and updating our policies, upgrading our IT systems and organising courses to support our clubs, facilities, coaches, teachers, and wider aquatic community.

Education Policies and Procedures

Based on customer and tutor feedback we have extensively reviewed and updated our Education Policies and Procedures, to reflect how we now deliver our courses and CPD, and to provide clear and transparent information on our processes.

Course candidates will be asked to acknowledge they have read an understand these on booking of courses.

https://www.swimireland.ie/education/education-policies

Policy changes to note

Course completion – candidates have one calendar year to complete all steps of their qualification. When that calendar year has passed, candidates will need to rebook the course at the currently advertised rate. All candidates who have completed a virtual classroom course prior to the 31 August 2022 have until the 1 March 2023 to fully complete their qualification (i.e. course practical). After this, charges will apply.

Late submission fees – Candidates are required to submit coursework and documentation through STEP within 7 days of course completion (virtual classroom or practical). Late fees will apply for any candidates submitting work after the seventh day.

Course transfers – After booking an event, candidates are permitted one transfer opportunity to the same event on a different date. You must contact the Education team a minimum of 48 hours (Monday-Friday) prior to the event start date to be entitled to a one-time transfer. Transfer requests 48 hours or less prior to course start time will not be accepted and will be treated as a cancellation.

Virtual classroom attendance – comprehensive guidance provided to address Safeguarding, GDPR and course completion queries.

Zoom links – course attendees are not permitted to share Zoom link with third parties except with the express permission of Swim Ireland. Certification will not be available to non-registrants.

IT Upgrades

Improving user experience and accessibility has been a key focus of the Education team this summer as we have upgraded our STEP e-Learning platform and continue to work through improvements on the JustGo membership database.

Key changes:

Removal of password requirement when accessing STEP through JustGo
Automatic awarding of e-Learning courses and CPD’s to reduce waiting time for course candidates
Simplified homepage on STEP
Migration of qualifications to credentials on JustGo to support club reporting

Coming soon:

STEP mobile app
Improved coach/ teacher licensing renewal process

Courses, Conferences and CPD

Teaching and Coaching courses through to end of 2022 are open for booking, with practical course dates added on a weekly basis, and 2023 courses will open for bookings on 1 October. The Education team monitor virtual classroom attendance and geographical demand for course practicals to ensure we are catering to course candidates.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date with newly added courses.

We are always seeking clubs and facilities to host course practicals, for more information or to register a course check out Host a Course.

We are looking forward to welcoming swimming coaches to our first in-person Conference for 3 years, on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October. Early bird rate applies until 11 September, with limited discounted tickets still remaining for Head Coaches and Female Coaches. REGISTER NOW