Aquatic Industry Teacher and Coach Pathways
COMMUNITY COACH
EXTENSION COURSES
Presenter & Assessor
Swimmer with a
Disability 
ASCTA College
Open Water
Swimming 
Masters Swimming
Australia Club Coach 
Masters Swimming
Level 1M Coach 
Masters Club
Coach Course
Masters Intro
Coach Course
ELITE COACH
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _
Other aqua fitness training courses, for example:
Water Exercise Training Service (WETS ) Aqua Instructor
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_Course
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FITNESS
INSTRUCTOR
Platinum

Swimming Australia
Gold

Swimming Australia
Silver

Swimming Australia
Bronze

Swimming Australia
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LEARN TO SWIM INSTRUCTORS
Extension Courses
Extension Courses

Swim Australia Culturally
and Linguistically Diverse
Swim Australia Adolescents
and Adults
Swim Australia Learners
with Disability


Swim Australia Teacher
of Competitive Strokes

Swim Australia
Teacher

Swim Australia Teacher
of Babies and Toddlers

AustSwim Teacher of

Towards Competitive Strokes
Austswim Teacher of
Swimming & Water
Safety

AustSwim Teacher of
Adults

AustSwim Teacher of 
Aquatics Access and Inclusion
AustSwim Teacher of 
Infant and Preschool Aquatics
The aquatic industry is diverse with many opportunities for prospective teachers, coaches or instructors to become involved in
a paid or volunteer capacity. There are three distinct areas including coaching at a swim club (at elite or community level),
becoming a learn to swim instructor or an aquatic industry fitness instructor. This diagram maps out the opportunities in order
to make it clear:




how to get involved;
what the pathway is to improve your skills and move between the various areas;
what type of accreditations are available (for example, ASC recognised accreditation, VET recognised or unrecognised
development course); and
provide an overview of the main providers of training and/or accreditation.
Learn to swim providers each have their own basic courses and more specialised extensions courses, including teaching
competitive strokes which is the pre-requisite for the Swimming Australia Bronze level club coaching course. The Bronze course
is the entry level club coaching course and can lead into both elite and community coaching pathways.
Learn to Swim Instructor education qualifications are certified by Swim Australia or Austswim, however many other providers,
including Royal Life Saving Australia deliver these courses.


All Austswim participants must complete the Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety before they can do any of the
extension courses.
Swim Australia participants can commence with any of the three base courses but must do the Swim Australia Teacher
course in order to sit an extension course.
Swimming Australia has a multi-level competency-based training system that recognises acquired knowledge, practical
experience and coaching performances (in the case of advanced levels). Once a coach has passed either of the base-level
assessments (Teacher of Competitive Strokes), they can enter the progressive club coaching pathway.
 Bronze level coaches are those club standard coaches. These coaches work with a wide variety of ages and abilities
within a club/squad environment.
 Silver level is the first ‘performance’ level coach and requires Bronze accreditation as a pre-requisite. Coaches must
complete a theoretical component and have coached swimmers who compete at State and National age-level
competitions.
 Gold level is the ‘high performance’ coaching qualification and requires Silver accreditation as a pre-requisite. The
coach must have swimmers who meet either the pool, Swimmers With Disability (SWD) or Open Water (OW)
performance criteria along with completion of the theoretical component including a full year individual project and
gaining qualifications in assessing and presenting.
 Platinum level coach is reserved for those Gold coaches who have coached medal winning swimmers on Australian
Teams at the World Championships and/or Olympic Games and is recognition of achievement at the highest elite level.
 All Australian Swim Teachers and Coaches (ASTCA) extension courses require Bronze accreditation as a minimum prerequisite. The presenter and assessor courses can be completed at any level but are a requirement of gaining the Gold
accreditation. These courses are aimed at providing coaches options to further their education in a number of areas
suited to their specific coaching needs (be that technical or soft skills).
Coaches can become a qualified coach of adults (and therefore Masters Swimming Australia Club Coach) in a number of
ways. New coaches can complete the Masters Swimming Australia Introduction and Club Coach courses. Those coaches
who are Bronze coaches already may request a formal Recognition of Current Competencies (RCC) and complete only the
Club Coach course, or the equivalent Coaching Adult Swimmers course delivered by ASCTA and sanctioned by Masters
Swimming Australia.
There are also a vast number of other aquatic industry fitness training courses which are available such as the Water
Exercise Training Service (WETS) Aquatic Instructor course that sit outside the overall pathway but are within the industry.
KEY:
 = ASC Accredited
 = VET Accredited