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| Professional Development Programs |
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For many years, International Diving Centre has been offering recreational, technical, and professional scuba diving courses in various languages. As a member of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world's leading recreational scuba training agency, International Diving Centre has grown into Vancouver's largest scuba diver training facility and one of only three PADI 5 Star Career Development Centers in Canada. International Diving Centre's recreational and technical courses are well established in the Canadian market place and our vocational training is enequalled. In 2005, we have added several new courses to our vocational program. Our upgraded program for 2005 now include PADI's Gas Blender and Emergency First Response courses, and utilize PADI's dynamic training system. This system, taken from the aerospace industry and applied to diving, involves an approach to diver education based on students learning at their own pace. This results in our training schedules being very dynamic with regard to student learning, and an emphasis being placed on a positive learning environment. Students enter our professional development programs as certified PADI open water divers or equivalent, having already mastered basic diving skills. Initially students complete several task-oriented dives through the PADI Advanced Course and Specialties, broadening their diving experience in different environments. Upon satisfactorily completing the required task-oriented courses, students will develop other-person-oriented skills in the PADI Rescue Diver course, allowing them to prevent or manage problems, by developing observational and life saving skills. The focus then shifts to leadership level training, PADI Divemaster and PADI Instructor courses, where students develop supervisory and teaching skills. Seminars are also incorporated into the programs and cover the following areas: Marine biology, the business of diving, retail sales, marketing, equipment troubleshooting, and hyperbaric medicine. Professionals, selected for their specialized expertise, conduct all of International Diving Centre's professional development courses and seminars. Our program is dynamic and reflect changes in technology, teaching methods, and materials. Our vision is to set a new standard for diving instructor training in the Canadian marketplace by developing scuba instructors capable of excelling in any area of employment within a state of the art recreational scuba facility. |
Since the introduction of scuba diving in 1943 by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnon, a very safe and rewarding recreational activity has developed. Subsequently, recreational scuba diving has grown into an industry that now certifies in excess of 1,000,000 divers annually, worldwide. Through the programs and support offered by scuba training agencies, this growth in the sport has led to many employment opportunities for professional divers.