License to train: technicians must be certified

In the coming weeks, one of the deepest turns in Chilean sport will begin to take place, with the creation of the Certification System of Labor and Professional Competencies of coaches. That is, the technicians working in the country must demonstrate their capabilities to practice in the national federated activity, through a license, a paradigm shift that is promoted by the Chilean Olympic Committee, through its Education Area, headed by Leonardo Lucero.

The models from Spain, France, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and Colombia were used as references., and it was detected that the biggest problem was that there was no common criterion for the training offered by sports entities, so they were not always related to the needs of the technicians. The initiative was then presented to experts from four universities, and functional maps were drawn up.

“There is no standardization regarding the types of coaches and what there is does not respond to the needs of the federated world at this minute. Anyone says they are technical and nobody can tell them anything, because it is not regulated and there is no body that validates it. That changes now “, says Lucero, who also gives account of a harsh reality: “There are federations that have technicians whose last training was 15 years ago and, with today’s times, that cannot be”.

The COCh, through its president, Miguel Ángel Mujica, the general secretary, Jaime Agliati, and Lucero have been developing various conversations with the federations, the IND and the Mindep, which will be, together with the Committee, the entities that will be at charge of certifying the capabilities of professionals. The pilot plan involves 15 federations (Triathlon, Canoeing, Judo, Tennis, Hockey and Skating, Field Hockey, Ski, Rugby, Table Tennis, Wrestling, Karate, Taekwondo, Handball, Aikido and American Football) and four are fine-tuning details for join (Golf, Underwater Sports, Boxing and Mountaineering). Of these, five will start in October and the idea is that before 2024 they will all be. Soccer is not contemplated in this initial stage, since it has the INAF as an educational body.

The first step includes a prior evaluation, in which each federation and the COCh They will have a team of professionals to carry out a recognition of previous learning (RAP), which can lead directly to the license or can show a deficit, so the trainer will be referred to a specific training. While the complete course will act with the new technicians who want to enter the system.

Being over 18 years of age or studying a career related to physical activity is part of the requirements. If this is not fulfilled, it will be enough with a fourth half and undergo a leveling course offered by the Olympic Committee. The federations may also make special demands, according to the characteristics of each discipline.

Six types of licenses will be granted: D (sports initiation); C (sports specialization), B (sports improvement); and A1, A2 and A3, which correspond to High Performance and international projection, the latter being the one with the greatest specialization, since it requires a minimum of eight years practicing and participating in world and Olympic competitions.

Meanwhile, the licenses granted will be valid for four years and the coaches will be able to level up, as long as they demonstrate the competencies required to be promoted. If you renew your document, the professional automatically leaves the registry. Furthermore, todo coach You should upload your background paper every six months, in order to verify that you are not prevented from working with children.

Among the teachers, there is the Spanish legend Mateo Garralda, national handball coach, who values ​​the initiative. “It is tremendously important that this exists, since the learning of the coaches must be regularized and validated”, He says. Since 2016, he has been training and has detected shortcomings. “In the Federation I stayed at the most basic level, because there are the biggest learning problems”, raises.

The coach compares this reality with what happens in his country. “In Spain there are world-class handball coaches, and to be certified there are three modules of two years each,” he says, along with commenting that the working days with the COCh have been long and hard, because “you have to adapt the content to the demands of the Committee ”.

Henry Reimberg, president of the Table Tennis Federation, highlights the plan. “We have been working for three years and, as a federation, we joined, because we consider that the program is unique and unprecedented. It has been approved in countries such as the United States, Canada, Colombia, and this parameter is important. It allows us to gain experience and continuing education, in addition to regulating the market. People are sometimes reluctant to change, but this will help to provide better work tools ”, says the leader, who even did his master’s thesis on this topic.

Tennis works to join. However, it will take time. “It is a super good idea. We all hope there is a standardized training system, as is the case in other countries, but it is going to be a process that is not going to be that quick. The COCh wanted us to start in August, but we are still working on adjustments, so we should be ready at the beginning of next year ”, says Paulina Sepúlveda, in charge of training at Fetech.

Meanwhile, Miguel Miranda, training advisor for Anetech, a group that brings together tennis coaches, celebrates the initiative, although he is also cautious on certain issues. “The idea seems very good to me, because not just anyone can be a coach. Hopefully suitable teams can be formed to evaluate, but it must also be said that in general the federation system is lagging behind, since a series of initiatives are carried out by the private sector without them “, he warns.

The COCh is working rapidly towards the establishment of its first professional institute. “Our goal is to start enrollment in 2023 and the fees are going to be a little lower than those found in the market”Lucero anticipates.

The new center will teach two careers: Physical Preparation and Sports Technical, with a mention in the different disciplines that exist. The first race will last two years and the second four. Furthermore, the idea is that in the future this entity will be in charge of the certification process together with the FDN, the Ministry of Education and the IND.