Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuits in WA - Australian Sports ...

Strategy 2 – Leader and Organisational Accreditation
The Outdoor Recreation Council of Australia (ORCA) is developing two national accreditation
schemes – the National Outdoor Leader Registration Scheme (NOLRS) and the outdoor
Organisational Accreditation Scheme (OAS). These schemes will provide easily recognised
national standards at a time when demand for accountability, responsibility, and quality of
service continue to increase. The benefits of the accreditation schemes are outlined below, and
a more detailed analysis is provided in the report on the Implementation of AAP/NOLRS/OAS in
Outdoors WA Project Feasibility, May 2002. 24
National Outdoor Leader Registration Scheme (NOLRS)
The scheme will provide:
• an Australian-wide process recognising competency, prior experience, whereby people
leading outdoor recreation activities in a responsible and professional manner can be
registered;
• a process that recognises existing training and experience and aids in the identification of
‘gaps’ in experience and training outcomes;
• a public database that may be accessed to identify people who have met a minimum
standard of skills, knowledge and experience;
• the collation of data that can be used by planners and policy makers to gain a more
accurate picture of outdoor activities and the manner in which they are conducted; and
• the development of a more professional image throughout the nation and across a variety of
outdoor activities.
Organisational Accreditation Scheme (OAS)
The Organisational Accreditation Scheme has been designed for outdoor education and
recreation organisations to provide a process to examine organisational policies and
procedures. While other organisational accreditation schemes exist, the overall aim of OAS is to
introduce a scheme specifically relevant to the outdoor recreation industry. The advantages of
the OAS, include:
• promotion of quality standards within the profession;
• ability to adapt to changing ‘best practice’ standards, community needs and attitudes
through a review process;
• it will provide governments and land owners/managers with a measure of safety and
professionalism that can be expected from registered outdoor recreation organisations;
• a database of high quality outdoor recreation organisations may be accessed to identify
those that have met a minimum standard of skill and knowledge;
• the collation of data that can be used by planners and policy makers to gain a more
accurate picture of participation and conduct in outdoor activities; and
• the development of a more professional image throughout the nation and across a variety of
outdoor activities.
Stakeholders have indicated a willingness to implement these schemes in WA by March 2003.
In the report on the implementation of the national outdoor schemes 25 , The Department of
24 ‘Outdoors WA Feasibility: The implementation of AAP/NOLRS/OAS in WA’, Department of Sport and Recreation, May 2002.
25 ‘Outdoors WA Feasibility: The implementation of AAP/NOLRS/OAS in WA’, Department of Sport and Recreation, May 2002.
Future Direction of Outdoor Pursuits in WA
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