ATA staff are regularly receiving inquiries and sign-ups for the ATA Bow Technician Certification course. The ATA is also allowing students to reserve their spot for an in-person practical assessment at the 2024 ATA Show.

Visit www.archerytrade.org/bow-technician-certification for more information or to enroll in the Bow Technician Certification course. 

If you already registered for the course, you can sign up for your 4-hour in-person practical assessment after completing the online portion of the class. The ATA has available assessment opportunities at the 2024 ATA Show in St. Louis, Jan. 11-13, and at the Vegas Shoot in Las Vegas, Jan. 30-31. The ATA encourages members to sign up now because spots are limited. 

The ATA Bow Technician Certification course is ideal for bow technicians of all skill levels and years of experience. No matter how long you’ve been a bow technician, having the certification validates your skills, adds credibility to your shop, reassures customers you know what you’re doing and differentiates your business from competitors.

Jayden Derrickson, head bow technician at Broadheads & Bullets LLC in Coldwater, Michigan, was grateful for the learning opportunity and chance to strengthen the business.

“The ATA bow technician certification program helped my business by allowing the customers to put more trust in me, knowing I have the qualifications and have gone through and through with bows and know them in and out,” he said.

The course sets the industry standard for bow technicians, and was created by members, for members with ATA oversight. ATA members that complete the on-demand online portion and pass an in-person practical assessment will receive an ATA Bow Technician certification, signs for their store and other assets to showcase their accomplishment. The cost is $600.

Derrickson said many bow technicians are self-taught or learn through an elder, as he did. He said those learning strategies might not always be right, effective or yield techniques that are safe and efficient. Therefore, it’s better to learn from professionals through a program that has vetted and verified course content. 

“Having the (ATA Bow Technician Certification) program creates a stable platform for tuning and working on compound bows,” he said. “Then, when the trained technician teaches someone else, they are passing on the techniques they were taught from certified instructors.” 

Derrickson liked the course format and the feedback he received during the one-on-one in-person practical assessment. 

“I think the best thing about the ATA training both in person and online was probably the reassurance from the in-person portion with the instructors,” Derrickson said. “I enjoyed chatting with the instructors and getting to know how much has changed from their experience to mine.”

He encourages members to sign up to receive formal training or a refresher of the skills they think they’ve mastered. 

“It doesn't hurt to have it, even if you think you know it all and have all the ways to do things,” Derrickson said. “I'm sure you don't; there is always something new to learn and new ways to do things.”

The certification is a members-only benefit so you must be a member to enroll. To register or learn more about the certification, visit www.archerytrade.org/bow-technician-certification. To become a member, go to www.archerytrade.org/membership.

Questions? Please contact Kurt Smith, ATA’s director of industry relations, at kurtsmith@archerytrade.org.

Photo courtesy of ATA