Education Conference 2023 Kicks Off in Colorado this Weekend

Education Conference 2023 will begin in Breckenridge, Colorado this weekend. Participants from eight regions will focus on alignment and how to continue to implement the certification and credential standards.

The Senior Specialist workgroup will also meet and hold a workshop proposing a Senior Specialist adult learning credential similar to the Children’s Specialist credential.

The tone of community, collaboration, and cross-region communication to take place at Education Conference 2023 was set during the previous week’s assessments at Palisade’s Tahoe, where the Western region brought in education staff and assessors from five different regions to work the assessments.

“Leading up to the Education Conference this weekend, the Western assessment event set an example of unity and collaboration toward alignment,” said PSIA-AASI Director of Education Dave Schuiling. “We have strong momentum toward the benefit of a consistent member experience.”

The Education Conference will be attended by members of the Education Leadership Council (ELC), members of each discipline task force – which includes PSIA-AASI National Team coaches and members – representatives from the PSIA-AASI Lakewood office, and executives from each region.

The key focus of the conference is continued strategic alignment and implementation of the certifications. Focusing on consistency, each workgroup will create a timeline for a unified process and key milestones tracking toward a May 2026 objective to reach unification. Short-term outcomes consist of the 2023-24 regional training objectives and summer workshops targeting specific standard needs.

This is phase 3 of the Strategic Alignment Initiative, and it will work to finalize a 10-year effort that began at the Education Leadership Summit of 2016.

“As a professional snowsports education and credentialing association, we are poised to take this final step to create even more value and credibility to learning on snow,” said Dave. “For our guests, the message is simple: learning never stops, and seeking a professional snowsports instructor will only enhance your enjoyment in the sport and have you coming back for more learning.”