The European Occupational Standards for Golf project (GOLF STAND) has been developed with the main objective to produce a range of indispensable European occupational standards aiming at defining the competences, skills and knowledge needed for those working in the sector as golf professionals.
These developments will:
- Improve the recognition of competences and qualifications in the golf sector
- Further enhance the recognition and re-evaluation of the standards set by the PGAs of Europe embracing an EU-wide competence-based, learning output framework;
- Promote a transparent and flexible education and training system with clear learning and career pathways
- Ensure the development of a competent workforce with the right skills and competences in line with the expectation of the labour market and facilitate the movement between education and employment
- Develop mobility, transparency and mutual trust of qualifications.
- Provide a clear Occupational Map and descriptions for the golf industry.
This project consortium is a unique combination of 17 national and EU organisations from 10 different member states involved in the golf, wider sports and education sectors. The project brings together for the first time from across EU a strong mix of recognised stakeholders with varied competences including public authorities concerned with education and sport, two national qualifications authorities, sectoral associations combining both established and emerging golf labour markets, social partners and other key stakeholders, such as 3 of EU leading golf training providers.
The EU golf industry is growing fast and employers need well trained employees able to match the requirements of a more demanding and socially diverse client. Golf is unique amongst sports in the size and diversity of its labour market. The European golf industry supports a workforce of 350,000 employees according to a 2009 study by KPMG/Oxford Economics. A large number of qualifications exist in the golf industry, some are recognised in national qualification systems (UK and Netherlands) and some others are purely sector-based. New golf markets have emerged in recent years particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe and there exists a gap at European level between the competencies required by golf employers and the learning outcomes acquired by graduate/employees through training. These new markets lack quality initial vocational training relevant to golf employers’ needs. In established golf markets, training processes are focused on learning inputs.
The most relevant previous innovative work in this domain is the 2007/2008 EQF-Sport Sector project led by EOSE which brought together all stakeholders of the Sport and Active Leisure sector to test EQF principles and which developed a common Lifelong Learning Strategy, to develop Occupational Standards, that we will be implemented through the Golf Industry during the next 2 years. In support of the EU Education and Training plan 2010, the ratified Lisbon Treaty and the EU White Paper for Sport, this project will introduce changes into national VET systems and practices by transferring the innovative EOSE 2008 methodology for Lifelong Learning in the Sport and Active Leisure sector to Golf. To achieve this task efficiently, it will be necessary to examine and implement to Golf the innovative tools of EQF, ECVET and EQARF which brought together all stakeholders of the Sport and Active Leisure sector to test EQF principles and which developed a common Lifelong Learning Strategy, to develop Occupational Standards, that we will be implemented through the Golf Industry during the next 2 years. In support of the EU Education and Training plan 2010, the ratified Lisbon Treaty and the EU White Paper for Sport, this project will introduce changes into national VET systems and practices by transferring the innovative EOSE 2008 methodology for Lifelong Learning in the Sport and Active Leisure sector to Golf. To achieve this task efficiently, it will be necessary to examine and implement to Golf the innovative tools of EQF, ECVET and EQARF.
