We already have a local standard, why do we need ITRA?

The ITRA training system is unique, as it is made up of “Instruction” and “Assessment”. Instructors can teach any of the learning objectives within their instructor qualification and record such student attendance on our database. This allows instructors to teach just one teaching point, through to 300 teaching points on a course (naturally 300 teaching points would take some weeks) so there are no more ‘cookie cutter’ courses.

However, if you have an existing local standard or standardized course, instructors simply instruct the relevant teaching points aligned to that standard or standardized course. ITRA does provide “Introductory” Certificates, which can be issued to students who have attended/participated in all the learning objectives contained within a qualification, but have not been formally assessed for competency. Such introductory certificates are available to members (i.e. student member) and have a QR code so they can be easily verified.

Students who are ready for competency-based assessment against all the teaching points within a certification (i.e. ITRA Swiftwater 1) are evaluated by certified instructors or registered assessors, and the candidate must satisfactorily pass all teaching points to be awarded the certification. This approach means that if someone completes a DEFRA (UK) course and the associated teaching points are recorded, then the same individual goes to the USA and wants to gain  NFPA recognition, any gap training can be quickly identified – making learning globally portable.

Additionally, it is common in vocational competency frameworks that assessors only need to hold the standard they wish to teach and assess. In many cases, stakeholders have lost confidence in the competence of graduates of such standards. The ITRA system also provides for instructor certification, including the external revalidation of such persons and a code of conduct which often does not exist for vocational competency framework trainers.

I am a rescue technician, not an instructor. Is ITRA right for me?

ITRA is not all about instructors. We have developed three tiers across our range of practitioner qualifications: Level 1 Responder, Level 2 Technician, and Level 3 Advanced. Instructors must be qualified to at least one level above the one they wish to teach (with Level 3 Instructors appointed by the Board or delegated authority), as well as meet other requirements for instructing. Traditionally, many national teaching systems have been based on attendance – being assessed to become an ITRA practitioner (i.e. Rope 1, Swiftwater 1, etc.) demonstrates that you are a competent practitioner, not just that you completed the course. Being a certified practitioner also requires that you abide by the ITRA Code of Conduct and re-certify every three years. An ITRA practitioner qualification shows your stakeholders you are a world class operator.

What happens after I get assessed?

Once you have been successfully assessed by an ITRA Instructor or Assessor for one of our qualifications, make sure that you also have signed the skill assessment result form to confirm the assessment outcome.

From there, you will either be provided a copy of this form, or invited to take a photo (i.e. on your phone) of it. This provides your interim proof of your assessment result. Make sure you leave with a signed copy of your result.

The instructor or assessor is then responsible to report the result to ITRA via an online Assessment Result Submission Form, as well as enter the attendance data and objective deliveries via the ITM platform.  The instructor or assessor is also responsible for paying ITRA the assessment fees that are due.

Once the results are received and payment has been made, all paperwork is checked to ensure accurate completion, and any other documentation requirements have been met by the instructor or assessor. If such requirements are not met, the administrator will notify the instructor or assessor and assessment results are held until the matter is resolved.

If everything has been submitted correctly and payment has been made, the qualification achievement will be recorded on the candidate’s ITRA Record of Learning in ITM.  The candidate will be notified via email by HQ that training records have been updated and the associated certificate(s) have been issued.  Those new to ITRA will also be sent a link to set up the log-in credentials in ITM where training records can be viewed and certificates can be downloaded and/or printed.

If you have been waiting more than 14 days for your results to be officially added to your Record of Learning, please contact your instructor or assessor  first. If you have no response or are unsatisfied with their response after this time, then contact us.

If you already held the qualification but were failed your re-assessment, and you are within the expiration date of that qualification, a “restricted operator notice” flag is added to your ITRA Record of Learning to disclose the result and employers/clients can make their own determination based on such disclosure.

If you wish to appeal your assessment result, you have 14 days from the assessment date to do so by contacting us.