The CAPA Judging Program is made up of multiple components.

The three primary components are Judge Training, Monitoring and Support.

Judge Training, which is developed in coordination with the Education Committee, covers all subjects related to the judging process. It includes:

• Basic Training for New Judges Course (BTNJ)
This course (currently under development) will be open to anyone and is a pre-requisite for entering the Judge Certification Program. Participants will be given a certificate recognizing that they have competed the course.

• Judge Certification Program
This is for CAPA members who wish to continue their training to become a CAPA Certified Judge. After completing the BTNJ course, individuals may apply to participate in this program. During this phase of their training, participants will be referred to as CAPA Apprentice (CA) Judges.

• Refresher Training for CAPA Certified (CC) Judges
In order to maintain their certification, CAPA Certified judges are required to complete refresher training prior to the end of their certification period. This training is designed to confirm maintenance of judging skills and review trends and recent changes related to judging.

• Supplemental/Advanced Courses and Seminars
These offerings will be based on changing trends, expanding on the BTNJ course and other subjects relating to judging

In the next Newsletter, we’ll look at the Monitoring and Support components.

Course Development

Some of the Judge training will be via on-line, self-paced learning. We are looking for individuals with expertise in this type of training to assist the working group that is updating course content.

If this is an area in which you can help, please contact the Director of the Judging Program at judgingdirector@capacanada.ca.