The Outdoors

The sector also has close links to other SkillsActive sectors, notably sport and playwork.

SkillsActive - who are we and what do we do?

• SkillsActive is the Sector Skills Council for the UK’s active leisure and learning industries, including the outdoors sector;
• We encourage, support and assist the continuing development of a dynamic and skilled workforce and related organisations within the sector;
• We exist to promote having the right people, with the right skills, knowledge and attitudes at the right time in the right numbers & place.

The outdoors sector; what is it & why is it important?

The outdoors sector as serviced by SkillsActive, covers a range of leisure and learning activities undertaken within the natural environment.

Currently, industry activity within the sector can be broadly categorised 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.

Of course, there are many overlaps between these sub-sectors, and that it is rare for organisations to neatly fall into any one single grouping.  The sector encompasses private, public, charitable/not for profit and voluntary operations, and has an equally varied customer base.

Historically, the outdoors sector has been difficult to quantify statistically using standard economic indicators (but we are working on this!).  Widely accepted figures suggest the sector contributes a Gross Value Added output of £430million and has a workforce in excess of 25,000; these numbers are believed to be conservative.  The sector supports many salaried positions, and an even larger number of voluntary and seasonal posts.  Taking the wider view, the outdoors sector makes a substantial indirect contribution to the UK economy, for instance, to related tourism and retail spending through its participative encouragement.  A UK Tourism Survey in 2003 estimated that 50% of the UK's population takes part in some form of active recreation whilst on holiday; their spending was estimated to be circa £2 billion.

The outdoors sector can play an important part in delivering Government policies.  Concern over the state of the UK population’s health is focusing attention on those industries that are placed to promote both health and well-being through participation in healthy activity.  Similarly, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched its Learning Outside The Classroom Manifesto to encourage learning through direct experience; this is a fantastic opportunity for the outdoors sector to be a significant contributor as a vehicle for educational delivery.

The outdoors sector is one of growth; it has consistently outstripped whole economy growth from 1999 to date.  Growth is currently estimated at 3.8% for the sector, against 2.8% for the whole economy.  Future growth can only be sustained if suitably trained, qualified and skilled staff are available to support it.

Who do we work with?

SkillsActive engages with a diverse range of UK employers, training providers and national governing bodies to nurture skills development. 

Within SkillsActive, we directly service and support:

• The Outdoor Employers Group - we are currently recruiting for new members;
• The Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee;
• The National Skills Academy.

We also represent the outdoors sector on key regional development agencies, work closely with relevant professional bodies and trade associations such as the Institute of Outdoor Learning and the British Activity Holiday Association, and have a UK-wide remit in the four Home Countries.

The core strength of the outdoors comes from its diversity, in terms of the range of activities, the range of purposes, the range of organisations and delivery methods, and the range of participants as individuals and groups.  Interestingly in the UK, both employment and participant profiles clearly demonstrate the merits of this diversity; the active and constant synergies between the sub-sectors strengthen the industry rather than divide it.  This is not always the case in other countries.