Core Competencies: What knowledge, attitude, and skills are required for the recreation/parks field in NS? Sally O’Neill, Co-ordinator Active Pictou County Laurene Rehman, Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University

Agenda What is the CPRA Professional Development Certification Course and how was it developed? How will the Core Competency Module help with recruiting practices and identifying future sector needs?   What is the personal experience of taking the Core Competency Module? Are the national competencies relatable to Nova Scotia and what may be missing or need to be changed?  What are the best methods to communicate the competencies to our sector?

Why is there a need for professional certification? “Working in the recreation and parks sector requires a unique and diverse set of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The CPRA Professional Development Certification (CPRA PDC) fosters the continual growth of these competencies through accessible professional development, creating a national standard that will strengthen the credibility and quality of its professionals” (CPRA, 2016).

Who is the professional certification for? Professionals and practitioners Employers Must be an active member of a provincial or territorial recreation and parks association Note: 2 - $1000 bursaries offered each year to practitioners with minimum of 5 years experience (apply by March 31 each year) Certification: Introduction to core competencies, Issues and Trends + knowledge presentation Each course is 13 weeks (with about 2-3 hours per week)

What are core competencies? “are a list of skills and behaviors that are specific and well defined and are used to lay out an organization’s performance expectations for a job or the organization’s culture as a whole” (CRGemPerform, 2010). “the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by recreation and parks professionals. Core competencies transcend the boundaries of specific domains and are independent of any program or topic” (CPRA, Core Competencies for Recreation and Parks 1.0). “Rather than having the specialization of a brain surgeon, the recreation and parks practitioner should instead be likened to a family doctor who has an extensive but broader base of general knowledge and skills” (Rabinowitz, 2009).

Why is there a need to focus on core competencies? a tool for assessing personal strengths and weaknesses and are essential for charting a journey of professional development help increase a member’s capacity to perform his or her role or advance his or her career allow for a balanced competency profile – “everyone is good at something, no one is good at everything”

What are the core competencies? Foundations – key knowledge and critical thinking skills related to the values, attitudes, and philosophies underpinning the field Leadership – focuses on how to influence and transform individuals, organizations, and communities Community building – focuses on how to engage communities to meet needs and demands Service development – explores knowledge and skills needed to create, implement and evaluate service activities Organizational management – focuses on knowledge, skills, and attitudes to ensure organizational efficiency and effectiveness

The experience of a practitioner…

What core competencies are needed in NS? Think of your own experiences… What knowledge and skills are needed to work in the recreation and parks field in our province? Do you feel the core competencies of foundation, leadership, community building, service development, and organizational management will encompass all that is needed? Why/why not? If you could identify the one knowledge or skill that you have used the most in your work – what would that be? If you could identify your weakest area in relation to your work – what would that be?

How should we communicate the competencies to our sector? What is the best way to get information out about the competencies and training?

Thank you for your time – questions? Laurene Rehman and Sally O’Neill lrehman@dal.ca coordinator@activepictoucounty.ca