Te Puke volunteers upskill with SNZ swim teacher course

Eight novice Te Puke swim teachers are now ready to teach their community an important life skill.

The group are volunteers for Te Puke Swimming Club, a summer only club, who provide learn to swim classes as well as squad and competitive classes for the Te Puke community.

With no prior swim teaching experience among the group Swimming New Zealand’s Swim Teacher Award (STA) course provided them with the skills to deliver foundational aquatic and water safety skills to their students.

A few nerves before the course were soon eased with Swimming New Zealand education advisor Erin Fowler assisting each person to feel confident and comfortable to take their learn to swim lessons and showing the group how to access the huge toolbox of resources and ideas on the Swimming New Zealand website.

The course also included a pool session giving the trainee swim teachers a chance to put what they learned into practice and gave a different way to cement learning pathways.

With the water in the outside pool still warming up (it was a refreshing 25 degrees) Erin focused on some dryland sessions that the volunteers can use on poolside to assist all of their swimmers.

Learn to swim classes at the club begin this week with the course participants now looking forward to helping the next generation learn to swim and survive.

“The swim course I attended was way over my expectations I learned way more than I thought I would and it's helped me to have more confidence in tutoring young children how to swim, ” said course attendee Brooke Turner.

The volunteers will now complete their post course requirements to gain their Swim Teacher Award and National Certificate in Sport and Recreation – Aquatics (Swim Education).

If you would like to take part in a Swimming New Zealand education course check out the education section of our website for more details.

CAPTION: Volunteers from Te Puke Swimming Club attending the Swimming New Zealand Swim Teacher Award course.