Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

Home Explore Our Marine Guide Training Pathway Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

🧭 Course Director (CD)

Where Leadership Becomes Legacy

Course Director is the highest level in the Marine Guide Training pathway.

This level is for people who want to do more than guide — they want to build something that lasts: a local training hub, a guide community, and a conservation-driven tourism culture that helps whales, dolphins, and the ocean thrive.

It’s a business pathway — but it’s not driven by big profit. The real return is purpose: training ethical guides, strengthening communities, and supporting a future where cetaceans are wild and free.

Why take this course

🌟 Why Become a Course Director?
✔ You want to create meaningful change for whales, dolphins, and ocean ecosystems.
✔ You’re ready to lead education, community, and standards in your region.
✔ You want to build a small training business with a global framework behind it.
✔ You want a legacy project that empowers young guides into a life with purpose.

Perfect for

💙 Perfect for:
Tourism operators, educators, conservation professionals, experienced guides, retired business leaders, and purpose-led entrepreneurs who want to establish a WCA-aligned marine guide training centre.

What you’ll build / deliver

📚 What You’ll Do as a Course Director
As a Course Director, you can establish and oversee marine guide training delivery in your region. You will be able to:

Lead the delivery of the Marine Guide Training pathway (Levels 1–6)
Build partnerships with local operators, schools, NGOs, and communities
Develop a national or regional community of WCA-aligned marine guides
Support conservation outcomes through education and responsible tourism
Set standards and culture — not just run a course

What you receive (franchise materials + systems)

🎁 What You Receive From Marine Guide Training
As a licensed Course Director, you receive a complete training delivery system, including:

✅ Digital training materials and course delivery framework
✅ Access to recorded sessions and training resources (including Level 5 observation content)
✅ A proven pathway refined through real-world training delivery
✅ Centralised student record-keeping and certification tracking through Teachable
✅ Access to WCA-aligned standards, guidelines, and quality assurance processes
✅ Ongoing support and connection to the global MGT/WCA network

You focus on building your local impact. We maintain consistency and records globally.

How the course runs (application + approval model)

🗓️ How the Course Runs (Application Pathway)
Level 6 is not a standard “enrol and complete” course. It is an application and approval pathway.

The process includes:
• Application and eligibility review
• Evidence of leadership, experience, and motivation
• A structured interview with an approved Course Director / assessor
• Agreement on training delivery model and partnership expectations
• Onboarding to franchise materials, systems, and quality assurance

Joint qualification / operating model (your operational reality)

🤝 Operating Model: You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
A Course Director can be jointly qualified, or a franchise owner can operate by partnering with at least one experienced Guide Trainer.

This means you can choose your pathway:
• If you want to teach: qualify as both Guide Trainer and Course Director
• If you want to lead and build the centre: partner with a Guide Trainer to deliver training

This flexibility makes the model realistic across different countries and seasons.

Purpose statement

This pathway is for people who want to leave the world better than they found it.

By creating a local guide community, you help shape a future where:
Whales and dolphins remain wild and free
Communities care and benefit through responsible tourism
Oceans thrive through education, ethics, and leadership

You will be empowering guides to live meaningful lives — with whales and dolphins as their colleagues, and conservation as their mission.

Apply/Enquire

🎯 Ready to Explore Becoming a Course Director?
If you feel called to build a marine guide training centre in your region, we’d love to hear from you.

Button text: Enquire About Level 6 →
Secondary button: Watch WCA Quality Assurance Video →

WCA QA video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDTNzs4Wg0

Entry requirements

🔒 Entry Requirements (Overview)
Course Director applicants are typically experienced professionals. You may be eligible if you have:
• Leadership experience in tourism, education, conservation, or business
• A strong commitment to responsible marine tourism and WCA values
• The ability to build partnerships and deliver training within your region
• Either personal guiding/training capability or access to a qualified Guide Trainer partner

Final acceptance is through application review and interview.

Apply Direct to MGT Director

Applications in Writing to : ceo@e-ko.nz

WCA Training

WCA Quality Assurance & Global Partnership

WCA Quality Assurance
The World’s Most Trusted Marine Guide Training System

The Marine Guide Training pathway you are entering is proven — not new.

This system has undergone five years of real-world testing and refinement, working directly with professional guides, tour operators, and conservation partners. Every module, assessment, and outcome has been tested on the water, with real guests, in real marine environments.

In 2025, this refined training pathway is ready for global release.

At its foundation stands the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) — a global leader in responsible marine tourism for over 15 years, representing more than 120 trusted partners worldwide.

What this means for you:
• A qualification trusted by operators and conservation leaders globally
• A pathway built for consistency, credibility, and progression
• Skills that can travel with you across the WCA network worldwide

In 2025, this refined training pathway is ready for global release.

Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

🌍 Build a Training Centre That Protects the Ocean
Launch a WCA-aligned marine guide community in your country — and create real conservation impact through education.

🧭 Course Director (CD)

Why take this course

Perfect for

What you’ll build / deliver

What you receive (franchise materials + systems)

How the course runs (application + approval model)

Joint qualification / operating model (your operational reality)

Purpose statement

Apply/Enquire

Entry requirements

Apply Direct to MGT Director

WCA Training

WCA Quality Assurance & Global Partnership

Training

Marine Guides

Specialties

Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

Level 6 – Course Director (CD)

🌍 Build a Training Centre That Protects the Ocean Launch a WCA-aligned marine guide community in your country — and create real conservation impact through education.

🧭 Course Director (CD)

Why take this course

Perfect for

What you’ll build / deliver

What you receive (franchise materials + systems)

How the course runs (application + approval model)

Joint qualification / operating model (your operational reality)

Purpose statement

Apply/Enquire

Entry requirements

Apply Direct to MGT Director

WCA Training

WCA Quality Assurance & Global Partnership

Training

Marine Guides

Specialties

🌍 Build a Training Centre That Protects the Ocean
Launch a WCA-aligned marine guide community in your country — and create real conservation impact through education.