Guide Training and Staff Development

In the end, a Zip Tour or a Canopy Tour will always be measured by the skill and effectiveness of its guides.  So much of the client's experience is in their hands.

From course orientation and interpretative commentary to equipment fitting, safety instruction, and emergency management, course guides must master a complex body of knowledge and perfect a variety of skills.  The standards are demanding.

Good canopy tour and zipline guides require proper training, continuing education, and expert supervision.

We have developed and implemented staff training and development systems customized to the needs of each Canopy Tour course we have built.  Five levels of responsibility and competency, from trainee to course manager, are covered in our standard curriculum.

Training and testing embrace quite a range of subjects, of which the following are perhaps the most important:

  • Canopy Tour Course hardware and safety systems
  • Canopy Tour and Zip Line Inspection and routine maintenance
  • Client screening and assessment
  • Client orientation and instruction
  • Safety equipment fitting and supervision
  • Oral presentations
  • Course biology, geology, and ecology
  • Local history
  • Client management and customer care
  • Guide communications
  • High-angle rescue and course evacuation
  • First aid, CPR, and AED
  • Operations reviews
  • Recordkeeping and reporting
  • Continuing education and periodic review
  • Canopy Tour Guide Certification and recertification

Our recommended approach to training and staff development involves the following:

  • Intensive formal seasonal training and review
  • Detailed training manuals and operations support documentation
  • Formal examinations, both written and oral
  • Ongoing mentoring and support
  • Internal and external coaching and review
  • Regular in-service workshops and testing
  • Periodic self-assessment and performance review

New tour operators should plan to invest considerable time and money into training during their first few years as they develop a core of competent, experienced staff.

For more information on our guide training and staff development programs, including our competency-based staffing models, please contact us by email or by phone.

 
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