SkillsActive and Nancy Ovens Bursary shortlist announced

Lee Rowberry, SkillsActive - 21/05/09

Sports coaches Rachel Light, Mike Newton, Chris Marriott, Kirsty Loudon, Matthew Rodney and Malcom Wallace, along with playworkers Naomi Harling and Dee Ashcroft have all been shortlisted to receive a bursary – designed to help individuals improve their skills through an innovative training programme outside the scope of regular training. About 60 people applied for the bursary, of which up to six may receive funding.

Each shortlisted applicant will now meet with the SkillsActive and Nancy Ovens bursary panel to explain how the bursary would be applied to meet his or her learning and development needs and what benefits their training experience would bring to their sector as a whole.

SkillsActive group executive manager and panel member, Mike Burrows says: “We had a large number of applicants this year, so it’s great to see individuals working in the sector identifying ways and means of developing their skills in innovative and dynamic ways. There is a wealth of potential learning opportunities within the active leisure and learning sector – both in the UK and abroad – and SkillsActive is delighted to assist the successful applicants to fulfil their personal development goals and, in turn, contribute to the huge number of individuals they work with across different parts of the sector."

The SkillsActive and Nancy Ovens bursary was developed in 2006. About 20 people from across the sport and recreation, health and fitness, playwork, outdoors and caravan industries have benefited from the bursary to date.