*Tohru SAKIYAMA1, Noritaka MATSUBARA1
(1.Graduate School of Management of Regional Resources, University of Hyogo)
Keywords:geopark, San'in Kaigan, continuous professional development, lifelong education
San-in Kaigan Geopark is the largest global geopark in Japan and there are thirty guide groups in the geopark. Some group members which receive following training programs are registered as official guides of the geopark. (1) Principles of geopark and outline of the San-in Kaigan Geopark, (2) Geology, geography, biology, history and others in the individual area, (3) Manner and technique of guide, (4) Conservation and related ordinances, and (5) Emergency resuscitation methods and system of insurances. License of the official guide is renewed every three years. They must participate at least fifteen seminars and events and improve the skill to guide the geopark during valid period of the license. It is not easy to prepare enough programs for all official guides because of the wide area of the geopark. On the other hand, there are many educational facilities represented in the San-in Kaigan Geopark. They have many lifelong educational programs independent to the guide training of geopark. But some of them are available to upgrade the guide skill. Accordingly, CPD (continuous professional development) system has been adopted as the improvement program of the official guides in the San-in Kaigan Geopark. Official guides of geopark take the programs provided as CPD program by the educational facilities and they get a CPD-point. Not only such seminars but promotion to out-reach events (symposium, caravan, festival and others) and participation to national and international geopark conferences (GGN, APGN, EGN, JPN and others) is available to CPD-point. In order to renew the license of official guide, they must have fifteen CPD-points in three years.CPD-program have following effects: (1) Securing of improvement programs for guide, (2) Exchange between people and geopark guides, (3) Deepening of interesting to guide activities, and (4) Development of lifelong education in the geopark.