Launch of South West skills plan

Andrew Brown - 27/9/2006

The South West currently has 3,700 organisations in the active leisure and learning sector employing a workforce of over 50,000 people. In order for the sector to offer the best services possible it needs the best possible workforce, both paid and unpaid. SkillsActive is working extensively with employers to make this happen, and the development of this regional action plan formalises the solutions for its stakeholders, providing strong foundations on which to build the sector’s workforce.

As part of the overall Sector Skills Agreement, the action plan is based on the assessment of current and future skills needs, and an assessment of current training provision. Six core solutions for the active leisure and learning sector have been drawn up:

• Improve quality and range of services
• Improve recruitment and retention
• Professionalise and upskill the existing workforce
• Match training supply to employer demand
• Source funding for training
• Increase sector investment in our people.

These priorities are broken down into key objectives for the five sub-sectors which SkillsActive represents, (sport and recreation, health and fitness, playwork, the outdoors and caravans) and some of the practical steps that will be undertaken are:

• Opening of a National Skills Academy ‘regional hub’ in the South West
• Increasing the number of coaches with UK Coaching Certificate based qualifications
• Providing excellent careers advice and identifying progression routes
• Utilising national occupational standards in qualifications and ensuring they are widely available to inform future job descriptions and recruitment campaigns.

The regional action plan was launched on Tuesday 26 September at a meeting of the South West Regional Skills Partnership, a body that brings together the interests of business and employers, individuals, training providers and funding organisations.