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	introduction & definitions			climbing instructor guidance
	climbing instructor qualifications			climbing instructor training course summary table
	stages in the scheme			step-by-step guide: instructor training roadmap

introduction & definitions

The SNCS Climbing Instructor Scheme defines the professional training and competence requirements leading to the SNCS Climbing Instructor certifications and is concerned with good practice and high standard of instruction leading to safe enjoyment of the sport of climbing. It is the only national climbing instructor training scheme in Singapore that is endorsed and recognised by the Singapore Mountaineering Federation and the Singapore Sports Council.

The scope of the scheme does not cover: 

• General mountaineering skills, such as those needed to approach and retreat from mountain. 
• Access to tidal sea cliffs, underground caves, or any location where escape is not easily possible from the base.

Definitions:

• Sport Climbing is the practice of top-rope/lead climbing or bouldering on any artificial climbing structure, wall or facility, which is specifically designed and constructed for the sport of climbing and has incorporated the necessary safety features such as belay and top anchors, and lead protections. 
• Rock Climbing is the practice of top-rope/lead climbing or bouldering on natural rock cliffs in which techniques and skills in natural protection and anchor set up are essential.  While technically speaking, a bolted rock route is termed as a sport route, the SMF regards all forms of climbing on natural rock as Rock Climbing.  This is necessary as most rock routes require the full spectrum of rock climbing techniques and skills to ensure safety during climbing and retreating.

There are 4 classes of instructor qualifications:
 

Qualification	Qualified to conduct
Sport Climbing Instructor Cat 1	Sport Climbing Course Level 1 and 2
Sport Climbing Instructor Cat 2	Sport Climbing Course Level 1 and 2     Sport Climbing Activity Supervisor Course     Sport Climbing Instructor Training Course
Rock Climbing Instructor Cat 1	Rock Climbing Course Level 1
Rock Climbing Instructor Cat 2	Rock Climbing Course Level 1     Rock Climbing Instructor Training Course

Essentially, Cat 1 instructors are qualified to conduct only courses stipulated in the Climbing Course Spectrum less the Sport Climbing Activity Supervisor Course.  Cat 2 instructors, on the other hand, are more senior instructors who are qualified to conduct instructor training courses, i.e. they can be trainers for instructors.  Promotion for an instructor from Cat 1 to 2 will be by appointment by the SMF but the following pre-qualifying conditions must be met:

• The instructor must have been in Cat 1 for at least 2 years
• The instructor must have conducted at least 10 courses. Only courses that are registered with the SMF with the submission of end-of-course reports are considered valid
• The instructor must not have record of bad disciplinary or conduct professionally as a climbing instructor
• The instructor has shown maturity, good knowledge and competency, and positive attitude and willingness towards mentoring and nurturing potential instructors

STAGE 1: REGISTRATION WITH THE SCHEME
Anyone who is keen to become an SNCS Climbing Instructor must first register with the SNCS Climbing Instructor Scheme. To be eligible for the registration, he/she must: 

• Be a member of a SMF-affiliated club/association/organisation. 
• Have a genuine interest in the sport, and the instruction and supervision of groups for sport and/or rock climbing. 
• Have at least 12 months’ experience of sport and/or rock climbing and meet the necessary pre-requisite qualifications. 
• Have attained 18 years of age or older at the date of registration. 

On receipt of the registration form and appropriate fee, the SMF will issue a SNCS Climbing Instructor Handbook and a Training Progress Log Sheet to the candidate (hereafter referred to as the Trainee).  The SMF will keep a record of his/her personal details and will update it as he/she progresses through the scheme. Click for registration form.

STAGE 2: INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
The Trainee may now enroll to attend one of the following instructor training courses provided he/she meets the pre-requisite qualifications: 
 

Training Course	Pre-requisite
Sport Climbing Instructor Training Course	Sport Climbing Level 2 Certificate or equivalent
Rock Climbing Instructor Training Course	Rock Climbing Level 1 Certificate or equivalent

The training course is for potential instructors and assumes basic competence as a sport and/or rock climber.  It will emphasise those skills which a Trainee may have difficulty in learning without expert guidance.  Completion of a training course alone, without taking an instructor certification assessment, is not a qualification in itself.

The instructor training course is a very critical stage in the overall training and development of a potential instructor.  It is when he acquires the bulk of instructional practices, training methodologies and knowledge about the SNCS.  As such, only SNCS Cat 2 Climbing Instructors are approved and deemed to have sufficient experience to conduct instructor training courses.  In addition, each training course needs to be conducted in the presence of two Cat 2 Climbing Instructors.

Upon the completion of the training course, the instructor will provide a written brief of the Trainee’s performance, including his/her strength and weaknesses in the Training Progress Log Sheet.  The Trainee will now assume the status of Trainee Instructor.  The instructor will separately submit a list of Trainee Instructors to the SMF for record purpose.  The SMF maintains an updated list of all SNCS Climbing Instructors and Trainee Instructors at any one time, which is available on request.

STAGE 3: CONSOLIDATION PERIOD
The Trainee Instructor will generally learn many new ideas and techniques during the training course and will therefore need some time to practice and evaluate these before taking the certification assessment.  During this period of consolidation, a Trainee Instructor is required to practise his/her instructional skills and techniques through on-the-job training by serving as an Assistant to any qualified climbing instructor during the conduct of climbing courses.  It is a mandatory requirement for a Trainee Instructor to have at least 3 practices as an assistant to Instructor for climbing courses .  The instructor to whom the Trainee Instructor is apprenticed to will need to endorse and report on the Trainee Instructor’s performance and highlight his/her areas of improvement in the Training Progress Log Sheet.

First Aid Requirement
The Trainee Instructor must hold an approved, currently valid First Aid qualification before he/she may apply for the certification assessment.  A list of first aid qualifications that are recognised by the SMF is shown below.  Approval may be sought with the SMF to substitute with other first aid qualifications provided the request is accompanied by proof that their scope of coverage is equal or more advanced than those listed below. 

Recognised First Aid Qualifications:

• Standard First Aid Course from the Singapore Red Cross Society 
• Adult First Aid Course from the St. John Ambulance Association 
• Wilderness First Aid Course 
• SAF Military Medic Course

STAGE 4: INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION ASSESSMENT 
Before registering for the certification assessment, the Trainee Instructor must: 

• Have registered with the scheme. 
• Have attended an instructor training course. 
• Have chalked up at least 3 practices as a Trainee Instructor. 
• Hold an approved and valid first aid certificate. 
• Be able to lead a 5.10 grade route on: 
• Artificial climbing wall for Sport Climbing Instructor assessment. 
• Natural rock for Rock Climbing Instructor assessment. 

During the assessment, the Trainee Instructor will be tested by the Director of Assessment in accordance with the requirements stated in the syllabus.  The Training Progress Log Sheet will need to be submitted to the Director of Assessment for reference.  There are 3 possible outcomes for the assessment: 
 

Assessment Result	What it Means
PASS	The Trainee Instructor has demonstrated that he/she has the necessary attributes to be qualified as a Cat 1 Climbing Instructor.  He/she has shown the required level of understanding of knowledge and safety requirement, the ability to apply the right climbing and instructional techniques and skills.
DEFERRED	The Trainee Instructor has generally performed up to standard but complete proficiency has not yet been attained in certain aspects.   The Trainee Instructor will need to apply for a re-assessment on specific aspects to be determined by the Director of Assessment.
FAIL	The Trainee Instructor has not managed to meet the minimum requirement to be qualified as a Cat 1 Climbing Instructor.  His/her performance may have been generally poor, the necessary attributes may not have been shown or major faults may have been committed during the assessment.  He/she will need to re-apply for assessment in the next round.

SNCS Climbing Instructor License
Having successfully passed the certification assessment, the SMF will issue the newly qualified instructor with a SNCS Climbing Instructor License, with a tick against the appropriate category of qualification in Sport or Rock or both, as shown below.  He/she is then officially certified as an SNCS Climbing Instructor, and will be bound by the SNCS rules, regulations and policies, and the SNCS Climbing Instructor Code of Practice.

STAGE 5: INSTRUCTOR RE-LICENSING TRAINING
All SNCS Climbing Instructors, upon the expiry of their licenses, will need to renew their licenses by attending a specially arranged Instructor Re-licensing Training Session.  The session will also serve as a good opportunity to disseminate and update on new policies and developments, as well as upgrade climbing instructors in new techniques and equipment.

To ensure that a high level of professionalism in all SNCS Climbing instructors, it is important that they maintain currency in climbing instructional proficiency as well as first aid knowledge. To meet the instructional currency requirement, Sport Climbing Instructors are required to conduct at least 3 courses per year. In view of the expected low frequency of rock climbing courses, Rock Climbing Instructors will not be subjected to such currency regulation for the time being.  Besides, all Instructors are also required to renew their first aid certification and produce a valid first aid license during the instructor re-licensing training.  Depending on whether these requirements are met and the opportunity for advanced training, the re-licensing training session may take one or more of the following forms:

• Instructor Refresher Training Course - this is mandatory for all Sport Climbing Instructors who have failed to meet the 3 courses per year currency requirement.  The refresher training will be at least a full-day course and will be subject to assessment of performance and proficiency.  Instructors who meet the currency requirement are exempted from attending this course.
• Workshop - the SMF may take this opportunity to disseminate new practices or even invite experts/specialists to hold upgrading workshop to further the knowledge and skills of the SNCS instructors. 
• Briefing Session - should there be few or no new announcements or developments to disseminate, the re-licensing training may just be a simple briefing session.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the system is to provide a full assessment of a participant's ability to effectively carry out courses within the SNCS.  Instruction involves a host of skills, all of which must be gauged as objectively as possible in relation to the set criteria (see Analysis of Topics).

All assessments will involve two assessors and it is the role of the assessors to reach a consensus with regard to each participant's performance. 

All topics must be assessed and in order that a participant pass an assessment, he/she must achieve an aggregate mark of 70% with a mark in each topic of at least 50%. 

DEFERRED PASS

Where a participant achieves an aggregate of 70% but has a topic mark of less than 50% he/she may be reassessed on these topics - in this case the pass will be deferred until the reassessment has taken place.

A participant may also receive a deferred pass where the aggregate is less than 70% but he/she has achieved in 8 out of 10 topics an individual topic mark of 70%.  In this case a pass will be deferred until the remaining topics are reassessed - on the reassessment the participant must pass the remaining topics at a standard of 70%. 

ANALYSIS OF TOPICS

Each topic is broken down into 3 parts:

• The skill/s for the topic is/are stated.
• The ways in which the skill can be demonstrated.
• The level that the participant must achieve. 

ASSESSORS

The post of an assessor is solely by appointment by the SMF.  The team of appointed assessors is entrusted with the responsibility to uphold the highest standards in the conduct of instructor certification assessments.

Climbing Instructor Handbook
The SNCS Climbing Instructor Handbook contains all that an instructor needs to know - the policy, rules and regulations for the SNCS Climbing System, the SNCS Instructor Code of Practice, the standard operating procedure for the administration, management and reporting of climbing courses, including the forms and procedures for submitting trainee list to the SMF and the registration and purchase of the SNCS certificates.  The handbook will be issued to the Trainee Instructor upon his/her registration with the scheme and it will be in the form of a ring file which facilitates any subsequent insertion of new or amended pages.

Guidelines On Conducting Climbing Clinic Sessions
Besides formal climbing courses which lead to certification, climbing instructors will, from time to time, conduct climbing clinics for novice to intermediate level climbers for them to practise their climbing techniques or simply for recreational fun.  Instructors should be mindful of the following guidelines: 

• If the participants are total beginners, i.e. not even Sport Climbing Course Level 1 trained, then extreme precaution should be undertaken - wearing of harness, tying of knots and belaying should be strictly performed by only the instructor, trainee instructor, course assistant or a trained climber
• If the participants are at least Sport Climbing Course Level 1 trained, then they may be allowed to climb and belay independently but the instructor should be positioned such that he/she is able to monitor, check and supervise, at any one time, all the climbers and belayers.  Under most circumstances, an instructor is able to effectively supervise up to 2 to 3 climbing routes.  If there are more climbing routes or activities than he/she could supervise, then there should be additional instructors, trainee instructors or course assistants
• The instructor should always be equipped with a first aid kit and be aware of the nearest location where first aid is available
• Climbing helmets be used for all bouldering and climbing activities

 * Correct as on 1 June 1998

*  Cost subject to alteration by the SMF without prior notice