Guiding

GUIDE TRAINING & EDUCATION
The only globally recognised raft guide certification

The only globally recognised raft guiding certification

The IRF Guide Training & Education (GTE) Award was created to provide commercial operators, industry organisations, national rafting federations, government regulators and other interested parties worldwide with a common standard for whitewater guiding professionals. To date, the IRF GTE system is the only globally recognised raft guiding certification. 

The IRF is recognised by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the two largest tourism bodies in the world, as the world body responsible for establishing and administering commercial raft guiding standards.

The GTE system is managed by the IRF through the Guide Training & Education (GTE) Committee. The system was first published in 2001 and has been revised several times since then. Significant changes were introduced in 2016/17. Version 6.0 was launched in July 2021 which includes improvements overall to the award system and supporting documents and introduced the new Whitewater Guide Award.

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Recent guide / safety news

GTE workshop and assessment in France during March 2024

We are happy to announce an IRF GTE workshop and assessment scheduled to be held on the Dranses River in France from March 18 to 22, 2024.  This is a great opportunity for river guides in France and the surrounding regions to obtain an IRF Guide, Trip Leader, Safety Kayak, or Instructor Certification.  The workshop

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GTE instructor update 2024 to be held in April in Ecuador

The IRF’s GTE Instructor update 2024 will be held in April 2024 for all existing IRF instructors who can travel to Ecuador to attend the update. The goal of the update is for IRF instructors to share the current global best practices within the rafting industry. The update will also give instructors the opportunity to

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GTE workshop and assessment in Mexico

We are pleased to announce another GTE workshop and assessment in Mexico, this time in Jalcomulco, Veracruz.   The IRF GTE certification is recognised worldwide by leading rafting companies and operators as a first step in obtaining employment as a rafting guide or trip leader. If you are interested in attending this assessment, please contact the

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