The former Pre-Service Training (PST) program will be discontinued in 2009.
Although the PST program was well-received by both staff and prospective instructors, the program's costs, the time involved and its effectiveness (only 1/3 of candidates actually completed the instructor certification process in an average year) mean that it's now time for a change and a new approach.
Our new instructor certification process places a much greater premium on mentoring as new candidates prepare to become fully certified instructors. The basic instructor certification process in 2009 will involve the following steps:
(1) Application - Unchanged from previous years
(2) Mentoring - Working with a mentor approved in advance by Dan Boes or Chuck Ray, the new candidate will complete a series of items on a checklist. The approved mentor will guide the new applicant and review candidate performance, and the applicant will benefit from the close involvement provided by an existing teaching team. Successful candidates are nominated by their mentor to participate in the third and final step. Unsuccessful candidates may require additional time or be denied the opportunity to become certified hunter education instructors.
(3) Full Class Participation / Evaluation - All new applicants will join other prospective instructor applicants in conducting a class in an underserved area of the state. Held five or six times per year, the applicant teaching session will allow the applicants to demonstrate their skills and abilities while Dan Boes and Chuck Ray provide evaluation and feedback. Applicants will receive per diem and mileage reimbursement for participating in the mandatory weekend training program.
The obvious emphasis in this new approach is on local instructor support as we develop new instructor talent. Printed material will soon be available (by the first week in November) from Dan Boes and Chuck Ray, to whom you should direct questions.
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1 comments:
I was wondering if the certification requirements have changed? The current posted requirements says `applicants must assist' in teaching a least one complete class. I just helped an applicant put on a class but he was he was responsible for all aspects of the course...arranging for a place to hold it, recruiting students, tracking down instructors including all of the paperwork. This doesn't sound like `assisting' to me. Just wondering.
If it is - why the shift in thinking and won't this put a damper on recruitment?
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