Special News Flash For Examiners: 2012 at IKO, New Projects on the Way!

27 Feb 2012

The New Year 2012 has already started! It’s time to review what the IKO achieved in 2011 and reveal the upcoming projects for 2012. As part of the Training Team, you are part of all those changes. Follow us below throughout this flash to stay up-to-date.

The Value of Examiner Contributions to the IKO
Our goal is to improve the quality of our service and develop our trainings by strengthening the IKO lesson structure and by creating better products for all levels of members. To do this, we have worked hard to improve all areas of our business. The IKO would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you especially those who have contributed to the updates of some our curriculum contents and have submitted constructive feedback and suggestions. We all benefit from working with these improved tools. We want to keep developing tools.  We hope we can count on even more participation from you in 2012.
 
The IKO 2011 Accomplishments
In 2011, we focused on improving quality through compliance. Some of our most notable achievements were:
  • Pre-ITC online courses in different languages
  • Develop and distribute a new Instructor Manual (IM) version 5.1
  • Update and implement the new & improved ITC procedures
  • Develop new & improved Standards
  • Run simple Compliance Checks during all ITC
  • Update and make available new online courses such as IRT, L2, Teaching to Children etc
  • Make the ITC guidelines available as an Online e-book
  • Make the Instructor Manual available as an Online e-book
  • Make available the Dropbox communication tool for sharing Examiner documents
  • Add the new Assistant Examiner certification
  • Certified new Examiner, Jeffro Rothenberg
  • Certified new Training Master, Stephan Zaat
  • Hired a communication and marketing manager, Jessica Chauvin
  • Made the Assistant Instructor Training Course (AITC) available on the training calendar for IKO schools
 
IKO Goals and Projects for 2012!
In 2012, we will be working on integrating all of the different courses, OECs, and levels into a bigger and better “unified teaching program.” The idea is that all of the services and courses offered by IKO will become IKO requirements so that everything we do will have a purpose and increase their value.
 

The Assistant Instructor Training Course (AITC)

In the past, the AITC was an under-utilized pre-requisite that was neither promoted nor enforced. The IKO has now integrated it into the training program to add quality to the ITC Candidate’s prerequisite training. We have taken steps to promote this course, and also to give some of the responsibility of preparing candidates back to the IKO Schools and qualified L2 Instructors. In this way, we have added value to the “Assistant Trainer Program”. We have also increased demand for the AITC courses, and have created a more valuable product (course) that can be offered through Schools.  As Examiners, you can please announce the AITC courses using the training calendar just as you would an ITC.

Using the online calendar tool puts this course on the radar of all the Candidates and Organizers (Remember that you do not have to personally teach every AITC, but you should do your best to ensure that your host schools are offering these AITC courses, and that every ITC Candidate has access to get these courses).
Some of the current projects and goals for 2012 are:
  • Training New Assistant Examiners
  • Certifying New Examiners, Fernando Dulce has already been certified in January 2012
  • Making the Assistant certification mandatory in May 2012 for ALL ITC candidates
  • Updating of several manuals
  • Updating Snow and Power Programs
  • Launching the new website with online videos, and new online education courses
 
The IKO together with Examiners will achieve its 2012 goals
Our Examiners are the most knowledgeable kiteboarding professionals in the industry. One of the best ways for Examiners to actively participate together with the IKO in making the IKO training the most valuable and elite in the industry is by regularly updating and informing their ITC Organizers, Candidates and Students; and to promote and implement the new changes as they are rolled-out in 2012.
Further, the IKO has been able to allocate a specific budget to the Training Department for its tasks in 2012. As a result, the IKO was able to pass on some savings to you by keeping the Examiner fees the same as before.
Also, to help ensure that Examiners are always up-to-date, the IKO makes available all the latest versions of the IKO procedures and contents. Please feel free to provide us your feedback on any new materials and courses. We will seriously consider inserting your input into any future updates. We like to hear from you so please stay in contact with IKO staff. This way, together the IKO and its Examiners stay at the top of the industry.
Finally, to stay in the move, your Examiner credentials have to be maintained by doing OECs to get your CEPS, and running at least two ITCs per year (See the full list of requirements in the Standards).
 

Happy kiting in 2012!

 

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