Outdoor education is at the heart of the outdoors sector, which covers a wide range of leisure, learning and well-being activities within the natural environment.

SkillsActive provides expert advice and guidance on all aspects of outdoor education, staff training and career development.

Activity within the outdoors sector can be broadly divided into five key sub-areas:

• Outdoor education - experiential, environmental, physical and social education
• Outdoor recreation - organised and self-guided outdoor activities for ‘fun’
• Outdoor development training - leadership, team and management development
• Outdoor sport development - performance coaching, instructor training and skill development
• Expeditions and exploration - planning and delivery of local, national and international expeditions and research

There are many overlaps between these sub-sectors, and it is unusual for organisations to neatly fall into any one single grouping. The sector encompasses private, public, charitable/ not for profit and voluntary operations. It also has an equally mixed range of participants.