In 2014, USPA unveiled an online training tool for our Safety and Training Advisors. We developed this tool to help provide or reinforce the knowledge our S&TAs need as they move forward, carrying the safety torch at their respective drop zones or in their regions. USPA did not launch this tool with a pass/fail mentality but rather saw it as a way to ensure that S&TAs received the knowledge necessary to successfully fulfill their roles.

As the years passed, we received lots of suggestions on how to best update that training, and last year our efforts at making improvements kicked into high gear. The USPA Director of Safety and Training and the Director of Technology got together and came up with a great idea to modernize that training tool. Within our membership ranks, we found an instructor who has a master’s degree in education and another who possessed the skills to do animation. Together, the team embarked on a project to update and upgrade the online training experience.

The new video-based S&TA Training Modules now contain 12 modules with voice-over animation that users can complete on their own schedules. The self-paced program provides questions that helps show our advisors what they have learned, retained or reinforced. It’s a nice step forward in meeting our mission to ensure that those who hold this appointment are well prepared for the challenges they may face in the field. In January, we began the process of having our worldwide pool of S&TAs work through this training and so far, the overwhelming majority have been thankful for it.

This type of continuing education is something that is very prevalent in other industries. Ski and snowboard instructors, youth coaches, performance coaches, sports coaches, doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, architects, pilots ... the list of professions that require continuing education for recertification is long. And the effectiveness of continuing education in nurturing and honing skills is evident. At its winter meeting in February, the USPA Board of Directors viewed the S&TA Training Modules and endorsed the idea of development of professionalism training for all our instructional rating holders. They saw fit to support that effort with an allocation from the U.S. Skydiving Safety Foundation to aid in development of that continuing education.

This continuing education should be a great benefit to our instructors, who occasionally end up out of compliance with our rules or guidelines and become subject to disciplinary action. Sometimes it’s because their actions were intentional, but sometimes they were simply ignorant of the correct way to do things or just failed to keep up to date with changes in guidelines or requirements. These recent proactive efforts toward education and development for S&TAs and rating holders should go a long way in raising the bar for those who work in our sport. These are the folks training newer jumpers. They are the role models on our Group Member drop zones, and I think we owe it to them and to our sport to make sure they are the best they can be.