La Trobe University (Melbourne, AUS) becomes the first university to gain FULL endorsement of their Sport Coaching Bachelor’s Degree after a rigorous evaluation protocol.
Responding to a global increase in the number of higher education institutions offering sport coaching degrees, the ICCE developed the Standards for Higher Education Sport Coaching Degrees in 2016. Known in the field as the International Coaching Degree Standards (ICDS), this guidance document aimed to provide an internationally accepted reference point for those HEIs wishing to contribute to the development of the coaching workforce world-wide.
The ICDS were envisaged as complementary to the guidance provided by national education authorities and governing bodies of sport and therefore need to be read an operationalised in the context of existing relevant policies. The standards are thus a flexible, non-compulsory set of guidelines for the development of high quality, suitable curricula and delivery programmes to develop the next generation of coaches at graduate level.
Shortly after their release, ICCE started a global consultation to evaluate the need for an ICDS Endorsement process. After the positive outcome of this consultation, an international working group comprised of Dr Andrea Woodburn (CAN), Dr Kristen Dieffenbach (US), Dr Steven Rynne (AUS), Dr Masa Ito (JAP), Dr Andy Abraham (UK) and Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial (ESP) set out to develop and test a robust endorsement process to support universities world-wide.
Now in the final stages of testing, the ICDS Endorsement process consists of a thorough analysis of the syllabus, curricula and delivery of sport coaching full, major and minor degrees leading to endorsement and/or recommendations for development/re-submission.
ICCE is delighted to announce that the first pilot endorsement has concluded with a successful outcome. La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, has become the first university to obtain FULL Endorsement after undergoing a thorough evaluation process by a panel of independent reviewers.
ICCE President John Bales commented on the significance of this event:
This is a big step forward for coaching as a profession globally. The ICCE Standards aim to support the development of high-quality degree programmes that aid the creation of a knowledgeable, effective and ethical coaching workforce. We would like to thank the working group, and congratulate La Trobe University for helping us test and refine the process and for achieving FULL endorsement.
La Trobe University’s Sport Coaching team, including Professor Dave Morley, Maris Lidums, Clare MacMahon, Alexandra Roberts, and Kate Perry comment on receiving this endorsement:
We would like to thank the ICCE for endorsing our Sport Coaching Degree; we are thrilled and honoured to be the first university in the world to be fully endorsed under the new standards framework. Our dedicated, expert staff are fortunate enough to have world-class teaching and research facilities together with a strong network of partners in sport, which contributed to the strength of our submission. We pride ourselves on being one of the leading universities for sport in Australia and are passionate about working with the ICCE to improve sport coaching and developing the next generation of coaches, both nationally and internationally.
ICCE will continue the testing phase with another three pilots underway. Once the piloting is completed, ICCE will publish an updated version of the ICDS and open the endorsement process to all higher education institutions around the world.
For more information, contact info@icce.ws
