SkillsActive Commended by Government on Anniversary

Press release, SkillsActive - 14/10/09

As the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure, Learning, and Well-being, SkillsActive serves five sub-sectors: sport and recreation, health and fitness, playwork, the outdoors, and caravans and, through the relicensing process, has been judged to provide a clear, credible and coherent voice for employers on the skills and qualifications needs across the sector.

Working with and for employers across the industry, SkillsActive ensures their needs are met in terms of more professional and better qualified staff. SkillsActive’s main focus is on increasing the demand for skills, along with raising the quality of skills provision, to create a fit for purpose system of training, and to lobby funding agencies and policy makers to invest in this employer-led framework. Since it came into being in October 2003, SkillsActive’s significant achievements have included:

• The establishment of the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs). It now has over 28,000 members (75% of the fitness workforce) registered across the UK.
• The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence/Modern Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (Scotland). It was established as a basis for development of elite performers (16-19) in professional sports (football, rugby, cricket, tennis and motor­sports) and now serves over ten Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. 
• Apprenticeships and Young Apprenticeships. These new programmes have developed and rapidly grown in a sector with no tradition for such structured work-based programmes. Over 4,000 apprentices have been certificated in the past 12 months. 
• Brokering over £32million in additional funds from outside of the sector for over 12,000 qualifications in England, including the innovative bursary programme supporting individuals to develop their skills in coaching and officiating.
• Developing a broad range of S/NVQs that have become established across the industry.
• The development of a new induction programme with outdoor employers for the sector.
• The creation of a qualification and training structure for playwork enabling them to be part of the new integrated children’s workforce.
• Looking forward to 2010, SkillsActive is leading the 14-19 educational reform programme on behalf of the sector, including the development of the new Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure and the creation of the new credit based qualifications framework.
• Completing the journey, 2008 saw the creation of the National Skills Academy as part of the SkillsActive group as the one-stop shop for the industry to access quality assured training and support.

Stephen Studd, Chief Executive of SkillsActive says: “We are delighted the government has selected SkillsActive as one of the sector skills councils to be relicensed; it was a comprehensive assessment process and we were judged across all aspects of the organisation. Active leisure and learning is currently a growth sector but to continue this expansion we must ensure the industry is supported by a qualified, high calibre workforce. Now, more than ever, we must support employers to invest in their workforce, and it's vital that we continue to identify and tackle the strategic skills needs of the sector."