Education · 1 of 4

The path

Certification by sport, one level at a time. Experience counts more than school.

1. 1

   Play and help out

   High school

   Most coaches start as athletes, then assist with a younger team at their club or school. You can begin at 15 or 16.

2. 2

   NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) training

   Weeks per level

   Run by the Coaching Association of Canada with each sport's national body, across 65 sports. Three streams: Community Sport for beginners and fun, Competition for developing athletes over the long term, and Instruction for teaching skills. Take the course, then get evaluated to move from Trained to Certified.

3. 3

   Safe Sport and screening

   Days

   A free 90-minute online Safe Sport module, a police check, first aid and CPR. Every organization that gets government funding requires them.

4. 4

   Optional degree

   4 years

   Kinesiology, physical education or sport management. Needed for teaching, university coaching and most high-performance jobs.

5. 5

   Climb

   5 to 15 years

   Assistant, age-group coach, head coach, provincial team, national team. Each step needs a higher certification level and results.