Anthony Doyle, 27, used to represent Salford and Leigh before deciding to focus on his first love - coaching.
He was offered the level 2 Apprenticeship in Activity Leadership with Premier Sport, which provides high quality community, extended school and holiday coaching activities, in 2010 after completing a work placement with the company on the Future Jobs Fund project.
Delivered by SkillsActive’s National Skills Academy, the project provided 5000 young unemployed people with six months training and work experience in the sport and active leisure sector.
Anthony says: “The Apprenticeship suited me down to the ground. I loved being able to get into schools and do what I was good at –interacting with staff and students – from day one, while also learning on the job.”
During his year-long Apprenticeship, Anthony learned to plan and deliver activity sessions for children before, during and after school as well as on holiday programmes. He also gained relevant qualifications such as NGB coaching badges in Basketball, Gymnastics and Fencing
Anthony now manages the Warrington franchise of Premier Sport after being hand picked by senior management at Premier Sport.
He is also completing a level 3 Apprenticeship in Management.
Premier Sport’s national education and training development officer, Andy Heald, says Antony is one of many apprentices at Premier Sport who will take the business into the future.
“Apprenticeships are a cost effective way to recruit enthusiastic people, give them the qualifications and experience to make them outstanding coaches and, in turn, improve and develop our business.
“I’d advise any business considering taking on an apprentice to go for it –you’ve got to speculate to accumulate.”
To learn more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector please see Apprenticeships
Shiremoor adventure playground in North Tyneside provides five to 13 year olds with opportunities for adventurous play in a staffed, safe environment.
Manager Keeks McGarry says during the peak summer season, up to 300 children can use the facility on a single day: “Having a high ratio of staff to children is key to providing quality playwork service.”
Motivated by the need for more staff, Keeks recruited four apprentices to join his team of three fulltime workers in August 2011. One of those is Natasha Killeen, 17, who is completing her level 2 Apprenticeship in Playwork.
Natsaha says: “I’d always wanted to work with children. An Apprenticeship allowed me to gain paid experience in the field and recognised qualifications to kick start my career.
An average day for Natasha involves setting up the facility and engaging children in activities such as drawing or football, as well as additional duties such as cleaning. On Thursdays and Fridays she attends Tyne Metropolitan College to gain the knowledge component of her apprenticeship.
“It’s a really challenging role because you have to adapt your methods depending on whether you’re working with a five year old or a 13 year old,” she says.
Keeks says Apprenticeships help professionalise the sector, and promote playwork as a viable career option.
“Apprenticeships provide a clear entry point for people looking for a career in playwork. We now have several students on work placement wanting to start their career in playwork with an Apprenticeship.”
To learn more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector, and how your business can benefit, please register your interest at www.skillsactive.com/takethelead
Jack Clarke, 17, left school at 15 to work on the family farm in Lancaster. After his family moved, he tried his hand at practical jobs such as school caretaking and working in a ground maintenance company before starting work as a trainee engineer at Salop Leisure in Shewsbury.
Soon after starting, Salop Leisure management spied potential in Jack and offered him the opportunity to take an Intermediate Level Apprenticeship in Leisure Operations.
“I don't enjoy class based learning, which is why I decided not to go to College,” Jack says. “With an apprenticeship, I'm gaining hands on experience, qualifications and training as well as earning a wage.”
Jack began his apprenticeship in February 2011 and has now completed his health and safety and first aid certificates as well as manufacturer's product training. He is looking forward to obtaining important gas and electrical qualifications in the future.
“We have a wide variety of repairs coming into the touring caravan workshop and I'm learning all the time. I aspire to be a good engineer and produce work to the highest standards,” Jack says.
Salop Leisure HR administrator Barbara Morris says Jack is one of four apprentices at the company, with the others working in customer service, holiday homes and alongside Jack in touring caravans repairs.
“Apprenticeships provide our staff with the opportunity to gain technical and transferable skills needed for a great start in their careers. It also ensures we have well trained, competent staff to take the business forward. I would encourage all businesses in our industry to consider taking on an apprentice.”
To find out more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector please see Apprenticeships
After finishing school, Lexine, 26, toyed with a career in hospitality “but was interested in doing something a bit more active”.
“I was keen to work with young people and gain some different experience,” she says.
In 2006, Lexine began working at PGL, the UK's leading outdoor education provider, in Surrey as a group leader but wanted to continue learning. So when she was offered the chance to complete a level 2 Apprenticeship in Sport and Recreation with the company, she grabbed it.
“The Apprenticeship offered me the chance to gain qualifications while still progressing in my career at PGL,” she says.
Lexine completed her first Apprenticeship in just nine months, fitting her course work around her hours of work.
She enjoyed the experience so much that in 2010, Lexine - who by then had been promoted to assistant central operations manager – decided to take up a level 3 Apprenticeship in Sport and Recreation. She is on track to complete the Apprenticeship by April 2012.
With the help of Apprenticeships, Lexine has risen from activity instructor to assistant chief instructor, chief instructor , house manager and central operations manager.
“If you're passionate about an industry, capable and keen to progress, there's no reason not to take up an Apprenticeship,” she says.
PGL Apprenticeship Programme Manager Jo Mortimer says PGL's 180 current apprentices have helped the organisation achieve a more flexible and qualified staff base.
“Apprenticeships provide those who may not have travelled the academic route with the skills and qualifications we require. They show new and prospective staff the development opportunities on offer.”
Many of PGL's apprentices, like Lexine, have developed their management skills and gone on to work at higher levels within the organisation.
“In future, PGL would like to be able to offer every member of staff the possibility of doing an Apprenticeship - even those at management level.”
To find out more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector please see Apprenticeships
Looking for a second chance in life and to prove the people who once doubted him wrong, Ian’s determination and will to succeed led him to Lifetime. Enrolling into the Lifetime Fitness Academy and with the support of tutor Mark Pemberton, Ian successfully completed his Level 2 Fitness Instructor Apprenticeship; not only could Ian earn while he learned, but he was able to gain ‘on the job’ skills and a true understanding of the industry.
Ian says: “I have turned my life around, influenced people and shown never to give up on anyone. In the space of just 20 months I have come from “just an apprentice” to becoming the youngest ever Health and Fitness Manager of the largest Fitness First club in Europe. I have received two awards from my employer on consecutive months, which has never been achieved by anyone in the company. I always aimed high from the very start and never gave up on that goal.”
A bright future awaits Ian; he now teaches ‘PT Business’ courses and has worked hard to establish himself in the fitness industry. “Eventually I want to have a say in how the industry is run. I feel that my passion behind health and fitness can influence change; my ambition is to aim high!”
Fitness First Cluster Manager Simon Latham says: “Fitness First is committed to supporting the continued professional development of all our staff towards performance excellence and as our training provider we are delighted that Lifetime is recognising the achievements of these people through the Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards.
“We are extremely proud that from a difficult place in his life, Ian has demonstrated how much someone can achieve with hard work and dedication. Not only that, but that he is also now helping others to achieve. From a new start with the Lifetime Fitness Academy, through to his recent achievements, his is a story to be celebrated and we hope to use it to inspire others within the Fitness First team and we will continue to support anyone that has the development of others at heart.”
To find out more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector please see Apprenticeships
27/1/12
SkillsActive Wales has secured about £235,000 of Government funding from the Sector Priority Fund Pilot to develop qualifications at Award, Certificate and Diploma levels for Playwork Principles into Practice. Play Wales and the SQA have been appointed to lead the delivery of the project.
SkillsActive Wales manager Richard Tobutt says: “The Playwork sector is already facing a significant skills shortage in Wales. This will be compounded by laws introduced in 2012 requiring each local authority to provide sufficient play opportunities for children and young people.
“We are really pleased that our bid for this funding has been successful and that playworkers will now have the opportunity to access these higher level qualifications.”
The new qualifications will be placed on the QCF at Level 3 and are intended for playworkers and childcare staff wanting to progress from the existing suite of P3 qualifications at Level 2.
Play Wales will also produce a range of innovative learning materials. For details of the training and the process by which both employers and playworkers can register interest, please email SkillsActive Wales manager Richard Tobutt at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
26/1/12
Developed by SkillsActive in consultation with leading employers, the programme is designed to attract learners keen for a career in the sport and active leisure industry.
The first group of students begun the programme in September 2011 and will spend their first year studying a combination of core and optional qualifications at Level 2.
The programme supports the strategic approach set out in the Welsh Government ‘Skills That Work for Wales’ strategy. It is being delivered by further education institutions such as Coleg Sir Gar, Ystrad Mynach College, Coleg Llandrillo and Cardiff and Vale College.
To find out how you can get involved please email Sara Hale at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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20/1/12
The research shows that:
• Just 21% of children play outdoors every day near home, compared to 71% of their parents when they were a child; 1
• 7 out of 10 parents feel that taking their children to an outside space to play is a real treat and children feel the same, with a reported 59 per cent wishing they could play outside in natural places more and; 2
• one third of today’s children say they have never built a den, 32 per cent say they have never climbed a tree and one in ten children have never ridden a bike.2
The Government has awarded £2 million through a Big Society Fund to the Play England Free Time Consortium, a group of 17 local and specialist organisations working together to increase children and young people’s opportunities for play and recreation. The money will enable the consortium to drive community involvement so that they can help make their neighbourhoods places where children can play outside more often.
Catherine Prisk, Director of Play England, said: “Playing outside, chalking on the pavement, climbing trees and riding your bike are simple pleasures that many of today’s children are missing out on. Play is essential for children's health and happiness now, and is also essential for making friends, building key skills for the future and for feeling you are part of a community. The Love Outdoor Play Campaign – backed up by real opportunities offered by local organisations across the country – will make it easy for everyone to get involved in making England a place where children once more have the freedom to play outside every day after school and in the holidays.”
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said: “I think we all know the importance of play to children. Over the past ten years a culture of red tape has stifled the freedom of children to climb trees, make dens and enjoy the simple pleasure of outdoor play. That is why we have awarded £2 million to Play England so that they can get more people involved in creating invaluable opportunities for children to play outside – this is all part of our drive to create a bigger stronger society where people are empowered to make a difference to their community.”
The consortium brings together local voluntary sector groups from across England who will offer a range of volunteering opportunities that include street parties, holiday play schemes, helping out on adventure playgrounds, or becoming a trustee.
It is expected to create over create over 20,000 new volunteering opportunities. There will also be one off opportunities to help build new play spaces – such as making rope swings or digging paddling pools – and for professionals to help their local play organisation with their website or their business plans. In addition there will be special programmes for young people to volunteer in their own communities, and further afield.
Volunteering has always been at the heart of play services across the country providing invaluable benefits for local communities, children and the volunteers themselves. At Shiremoor Adventure Playground in North Tyneside Justine, a parent who regularly takes her five-year-old to the playground, started volunteering 16 months ago. Inspired by the staff and the amazing work they do with the children and young people, she discovered a grant that could help them plug gaps in funds. Justine applied for the grant, and last October, the playground received £4,400 from the Big Lottery Fund to run weekly youth sessions. She now volunteers at the playground five days a week and last year started an NVQ level 2 in Playwork.
Justine said: “Volunteering has increased my confidence and given me perspective on what I want to do with my life. If someone had said to me a year ago I’d be doing this I’d have said no way - I’d never have thought I’d go back to college. Kids can always turn everything into a positive, they have me on a high all the time – I love it!
She continued: “Whatever your skills, whatever time you have to spare, there is a way that you can help your neighbourhood become a place where children have more freedom to play outside. “
The public is being asked to take the first step, by logging onto www.LoveOutdoorPlay.net to find out how they can get involved. Through the blog, email, Facebook and Twitter supporters will be kept up to date with opportunities across the country – and they are also invited to share how their support is helping more children have the freedom to play outside a bit more every day.
Source: Play England
19/1/12
The event offers much needed support to the Armed Forces as the Ministry of Defence has this week announced 4,200 job cuts in a second round of armed forces redundancies.
The Fair, to be held at Surrey Sports Park, in Guildford, Surrey, will be held on Thursday 8th March 2012, marking the start of SkillsActive’s Change Gear programme.
The Change Gear Programme is designed to offer specific career change support to ensure those leaving the Services are empowered to make informed decisions about the opportunities available to them in the sport, health and fitness, outdoors, playwork, health and beauty, and caravans industries.
Head of programmes Julie Evans explains: “What we are hoping to achieve with Change Gear Employment and Training Fair is to look past the uniform to the person within, recognising not only the skills of trained service men and women, but also the personal qualities that will help each individual succeed. Our sector has massive potential for growth and career development and therefore offers a wealth of opportunity for those entering it.
“The Change Gear Programme, and our Employment and Training Fair, are designed to offer all round support through expert advice, high quality training and additional support for business and finance, to make these career changers the best candidates with access to the best jobs.”
The event provides a unique opportunity for companies to come along and meet potential employees, and raise their profile as a respected employer to the industry. SkillsActive is urging companies to sign up, thereby helping former armed forces personnel to carve a new rewarding and successful career.
Service personnel will have access to specific career change advice as well as the chance to meet with training providers, employers and veterans who have made the transition from Forces-life into the sector. This will enable them to make informed decisions about their future.
As well as the Employment and Training Fair the Change Gear programme includes:
If you would like to know more about Change Gear or sign-up for the Employment and Training Fair please go to www.skillsactive.com/changegear
16/1/12
The Register of Regulated Qualifications, OfQual, approved the Level 3 Diploma in Performance Coaching for Gaelic Sports in late 2011. The course will be delivered through the Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI).
SkillsActive manager for Northern Ireland Siobhan Weir says she worked closely with the GAA and OCN NI to achieve the result.
“The formal accreditation of this course is an excellent achievement for Ulster GAA. Accreditation benefits everyone, from the learner to the wider sporting industry, and this is a great example of a work-based course evolving to become a nationally approved qualification.
“Although the course been developed purely for the NI market, it has international potential, especially in London and USA where the GAA has a huge network.”
Ulster GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail says: “We have thousands of volunteers who give their time freely coaching in their clubs from U8s right up to Senior teams. Now the GAA wants to give back to those volunteers.”
Brendan Clarke, CEO of Open College Network NI says: “To be associated with this key development, and able to support it by accrediting such a distinctive and important activity as the GAA coaching programme, is a source of significant pride to the OCNNI.”
The GAA also agreed in principle to buy activepassports for their candidates.
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