Demand is high for lifeguard training in Greater Moncton.
The Town of Riverview announced this week they would offer certification programs for free.
Registration opened on Thursday morning, and in less than an hour, the six courses were full, with more on the waiting list.
There were around 67 available spots to fill when registration opened.
RELATED: Riverview Breaks Down Barriers to Lifeguard Certification
“It was important for us to remove the financial barriers for anybody interested in taking these courses because we’re really hoping that people who have an interest in it or are considering pursuing a job in aquatics would be interested in doing it as we take away the course fees,” Town Spokesperson Heather Reinsborough told our newsroom.
She adds that the free certification programs were being offered not only to Riverview residents but also to others outside the town, “So if they don’t have a Riverview address, it’s just like our regular swimming lesson programs, they can still register.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, aquatics centres struggled to find lifeguards because all of the certification programs were cancelled, but Reinsborough says they have recovered from that.
“Our team has over 85 to up to 100 hours of training before they can start a career with us. We had to bridge that gap and really focus on how we were going to scale up our lifeguard courses to get us back to where we needed to be,” Reinsborough explained.
Interest in the free programs was more than was expected, but Reinsborough says it’s certainly a good problem to have. ” We are piloting it (the free certification programs) for this summer, and we hope to continue it into the fall as we prepare for the new Riverview Recreation Centre that’s going to be opening this time next year,” Reinsborough stated.
There were around 67 available spots to fill when registration opened on Thursday morning. If you’d like to get on the waiting list, you can visit the Town of Riverview website.
