Launched in 2021 with the RoadRally Safety Steward web-based course, SCCA® Academy’s instructional certification courses have continued to grow and expand, offering online certification and education courses that are available on a timeline that’s convenient for each individual member.

SCCA Academy’s Solo® Safety Steward program launched in July 2023, with that program being completed by members more than 600 times since then. Now, SCCA Academy continues its expansion of free educational training and licensing for the SCCA Autocross program with the introduction of the Solo Course Design online training course and licensing program.

Solo Training Expands

Through six online chapters and with lessons reaffirmed via a series of quizzes, the Solo Course Design online training course offers licensing that helps elevate the safety of Solo event course design as well as offering consistent course design training throughout the entire Club.

Built in conjunction with SCCA Hall of Fame member Karen Babb, the Solo Course Design Training program offers insight into course safety and quality that should be present at all SCCA sanctioned autocross events.

“Like all SCCA Academy courses, the Solo Course Design online training course and license program was born from a need to ensure members doing this task had consistent training and development as well as the latest information about the most current practices,” says SCCA Director of Region Development Chris Robbins. “From Chapter 6 in the training module, ‘...it is the intent of this training to make sure we are exercising due diligence to try to keep events [safe], and to ensure that we can keep those who design our Solo courses up to date on the most recent training and the lessons learned from the program.’”

Viewed linearly in one sitting, completion of the Solo Course Design online training program would take about an hour, but thanks to SCCA Academy’s online course, the program is divided into six chapters that can be viewed at any time, allowing members to complete the course when it’s convenient for them.

“At the heart of the SCCA is its dedicated volunteers, and without them, events simply wouldn’t happen,” says Robbins. “At the same time, we fully recognize that these volunteers have jobs and personal lives that matter – SCCA Academy’s free online training and licensing programs allow members to get the education and certification necessary to keep participants safe, but on their own time.”

Like with several other SCCA Academy training programs, those interested in completing the Solo Course Design online training must request access to the course by emailing regionservices@scca.com and providing their name, Region of record, and SCCA ID number. For SCCA members with a current Solo Safety Steward license, access to the course is automatically granted, and they're strongly encouraged to complete the course at their convenience.

The Solo Course Design online training course will be available starting July 1, 2025. All current course designers are encouraged to take the course and earn their Solo Course Designer license. Beginning March 1, 2026, a licensed Solo Course Designer will be required for all Regional and National events.

SCCA Academy’s Growth

Since SCCA Academy launched its online certification programs in January 2021, more than 4,800 courses have been completed by members, with nearly half of those taking place this year.

“SCCA Academy has been around for a while, with the initial offerings being videos that promoted membership values as well as policies and procedures; then in 2021, the program really hit its prime, starting with our award winning Leadership 101 series,” Robbins explains. “Those initial offerings were – and still are – valuable tools for all Region leaders, but with the online certification and licensing programs that SCCA Academy is producing which currently covers RoadRally, RallyCross, Solo, and both the volunteer trackside and driver side of SCCA Road Racing, SCCA Academy’s tools have become an integral and invaluable part of the SCCA reaching beyond our own Club.”

(SCCA Academy earned the bronze medal at the 2022 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards for Best Advance in Leadership Development.)

Within the last year, SCCA Academy has worked with IMSA to develop an online certification program specifically for IMSA Flagging & Communications. This works in conjunction with the SCCA Corner Marshal F&C certification course the Academy released the year prior.

If these training and certification programs sound interesting, check out the Quick Start Guide PDF, which tells everything there is to know about getting online to register for the programs. Want the same information but in video form? With this Quick Start Guide video, we’ve got you covered.

Photo by Rupert Berrington