SkillsActive

The approved training provider list contains information on playwork training providers who have successfully gone through our endorsement process to ensure the quality of their playwork delivery and, where appropriate, their training.  The list also contains information on the regions in which they deliver and the playwork qualifications and/or the SkillsActive endorsed training they offer, together with the CPD points awarded.

Endorsed Training

Training providers who display the SkillsActive endorsed logo carrying continuing professional development CPD points have succesfully completed our robust industry quality assured process to have their training endorsed by SkillsActive. 

By undergoing the endorsement process they have demonstrated that their training is fit for purpose, safe and effective; they are also approved centres for the delivery of their playwork training.  Endorsement also means that they have signed up to our playwork code of practice which underpins how they must operate within our industry to protect both learners and other training providers.

Finally, all the training providers that have had their training endorsed undergo quality assurance (QA) visits where we sample the delivery to ensure that the learning experience is consistently high.

Please note that endorsed training does not sit on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) but is industry recognised.

Browse our list of endorsed training here >

Centre Verification Check (CVC)

Training providers holding the CVC are approved by SkillsActive as a centre for the delivery of playwork training because they have shown that they have quality assurance systems and processes in place to ensure they are consistently delivering at a high standard. The training that they deliver will not carry CPD points as this is not part of their endorsement; this means that the content has not been endorsed and SkillsActive is not responsible for the content. However, please note that the training providers are approved to deliver another organisation's endorsed playwork training that has undergone our robust industry quality assured process, so details are included as well as any playwork qualifications they offer.

Qualifications that are listed on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) are approved by awarding organisations who are regulated by Ofqual. Although these qualifications do not require approval by SkillsActive, they do carry CPD points.   

As part of their CVC, the training provider has also signed our playwork code of practice which underpins how they must operate within our industry to protect learners and other training providers. 

Browse our list of Centre Verification Check holders here >

The SkillsActive Academy

Approved academy providers have undergone the endorsement process but also have had additional checks to approve them as a provider who has a proven track record in being innovative and dynamic in meeting the needs of employers.  Their training is quality assured by industry and will also carry CPD points. 

Search for academy providers approved in playwork here >

11/05/12

City College Norwich has been appointed the lead training provider for SkillsActive’s Joint Investment Programme in Playwork.

SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure, learning and well-being, has secured £230,000 of Government funding from the Growth and Innovation Fund, which is jointly administered by The Department for Business Innovation and Skills, the Skills Funding Agency and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).

The Fund matches employer funding with Government funding to help meet skills gaps in economically important sectors. The Joint Investment Programme in Playwork focuses on the skills gaps identified to SkillsActive by playwork employers.

Lesli Godfrey, Strategic Lead for Playwork at SkillsActive, says: “We are really pleased that our bid for this funding has been successful and that employers will now have this opportunity to access a Playwork qualification for their staff from an early years background.”

Playworkers provide spaces and resources for children and young people to come together and play in their free time, at out of school clubs, adventure playgrounds, parks and community centres across the country. The subsidised qualification equips staff who have gained early years qualifications with the principles, knowledge and understanding of Playwork that they need in order to facilitate play opportunities for children and young people.

SkillsActive is looking for playworkers in England to take advantage of the offer of 50% matched funding towards the Level 3 Award in Transition to Playwork (from early years).

SkillsActive is now working with City College Norwich and a network of partner training providers to deliver the programme across all counties of England. It is intended that the programme will be completed by the end of July 2013.

To be eligible for funding, learners must hold a full level 3 early years qualification, based on the children’s care learning and development or early years and education standards. Employers will need to pledge at least 50% of the cost of the qualification i.e. £229 to enable this to be matched by Government.

All learners will also receive their own SkillsActive activepassport, an on-line tool to record their qualifications, training and experience.

Dick Palmer, Principal, City College Norwich, says: “We are delighted to be working with SkillsActive and partners to deliver the Level 3 Award in Transition to Playwork nationwide which will help extend the opportunities available to those already trained in early years.”

Details of the training available and the process by which both employers and playworkers can register their interest can be found at www.ccn.ac.uk/form/playworktransition.

12/4/12

The Spring issue of SkillsActive’s flagship publication, ActiveInsight, is out now!

Highlights include:

• Nancy Ovens Bursary funds learning outside the box
• Q&A with Lauren Taylor, AASE Apprentice and BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2011
• CITOs’ 2012 Best Park Apprentice, Tom Wilson-Croome
• Playwork qualifications offer goes live
• New match funding opportunity to activate the inactive
• Take the lead with Apprenticeships
• Surge in qualified sports coaches in Yorkshire and Humber

Download ActiveInsight>

27/3/12

SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure, learning and wellbeing, has received funding to continue its work delivering skills solutions for the sector.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has appointed SkillsActive, in partnership with Lantra, HABIA, People 1st, Improve and GoSkills.

They have been funded to deliver National Occupational Standards, Apprenticeships and Modern Apprenticeship frameworks, and qualification related products for three years starting 1st April 2012.

SkillsActive acting CEO Suki Kalirai says: “National occupational standards, qualifications and Apprenticeships are key products for developing a better skilled, better qualified workforce. This funding will provide the quality skills system the sector needs to achieve its objectives.”

SkillsActive achieved funding for three out of four of its national occupational standards projects, including:

• Leisure operations and management - SkillsActive has been funded to review the national occupational standards for leisure operations and management to ensure they reflect current practice.
• Achieving excellence in sports performance - SkillsActive has been funded to review the national occupational standards in sports performance that underpin the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) framework for elite young athletes.
• Playwork - SkillsActive has been funded to fill gaps in the national occupational standards for new professional areas in Playwork.

SkillsActive has also achieved funding for Apprenticeships, with a special focus on coaching in Wales and achieving excellence in sports performance in Scotland.

The announcement on the level of funding for qualifications work is still pending.

Offer unlimited endorsed courses for the next two years – save time, money and effort on completing paperwork for each course you want to endorse with an endorsement licence.

An endorsement licence offers all the benefits of playwork training endorsement for ALL your training:

• Listings on the SkillsActive website
• Social media posts to our network of followers
• Use of the SkillsActive logo to highlight the value of your training

In addition, endorsement licence holders ALSO benefit from:

• FREE online listing of course dates and venues to receive business referrals
• Receive direct enquiries from the SkillsActive website for FREE
• Discounted in-house training with SkillsActive to develop your own staff
• Discounts on selected SkillsActive events
• FREE quality assurance support visit
• FREE orientation day for new providers

All playwork training: up to 16 CPD points £1355* Apply Now

The playwork endorsement licence covers ALL types of playwork training, from seminars to full courses.

Employer Training Licence £1100 Apply Now

For any further enquiries about playwork endorsement, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

*The number of CPD points awarded is dependent on the number of training hours.

Playwork degrees that teach students employable skills.

Higher Education Endorsement not only allows Higher Education Institutions delivering playwork degrees to identify their programme of study as high quality courses with relevance to the industry today. It also directly links their students to employment opportunities through a high level of practical experience and work with relevant contacts.

The benefits of Higher Education Endorsement for playwork courses include:

• Higher Education Institutions can demonstrate to employers and students that their course has been recognised by the industry as containing practical elements
• Improved links can be forged between students, employers and Higher Education institutions through of the inclusion of work experience within the course.
• Students can easily identify courses that guarantee work experience within the course
• Students have increased networking opportunities with relevant bodies in the industry.

View which Higher Education courses are currently endorsed for playwork >

Is Higher Education Endorsement for playwork right for your Higher Education course?

Discover more about how to apply for Higher Education Endorsement for Fitness.

Questions? Contact endorsement.playwork@skillsactive for more information about Higher Education Endorsement for playwork.

Playwork endorsement identifies training and qualifications that meet industry standards, allowing you to promote your courses as training of recognised high quality.

When working with children, it is important to ensure that staff and volunteers have approved training that promotes good practice within the sector.

Becoming a SkillsActive approved provider for playwork highlights the value of your course to playwork professionals. Offering the opportunity to take recognised training also encourages professional development among playwork professionals and employers, increasing their chances of choosing to take further training.

Promote individual training

Ideal for training providers or further education colleges with one specific piece of playwork training to endorse.

Endorse all training

The best value option for any type of training provider with more than one playwork course to promote – save time, money and effort on paperwork.

Promote degrees

Intended for Higher Education Institutions, higher education endorsement shows that your degree teaches students employable skills.

Centre Verification Check

Verification for training providers to demonstrate that they have sufficient quality assurance procedures in place to deliver playwork training.

 27/2/12

Playworkers can now access government funding for three new qualifications.

The CACHE Level 4 Award in Playwork, CACHE Level 4 Certificate in Playwork and CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Playwork are now on the Government’s LARA (Learning Aim Reference Application) website, which means they are eligible for government funding for learners over 16 years.

Learners who are between 16 and 18 years old are eligible for full funding, while learners who are 19-24 are likely to be eligible for 50% funding through adult learner provision.

SkillsActive’s Strategic Lead for Playwork and the Children’s Workforce, Lesli Godfrey, says: “SkillsActive is very pleased the higher level Playwork qualifications are eligible for funding. We’ve had a lot of enquiries from potential learners who are keen to undertake a Playwork qualification at levels 4 and 5, and access to funding support is a welcome bonus for them and their employers, many of whom struggle to pay for staff development.’

Cache’s Director of Portfolio Development Nick Cutland says: “CACHE are thrilled that these qualifications are attracting funding. The knowledge and skills learners will gain through completing them will contribute to continuing professional development in the Playwork sector.”

Training providers who have direct contracts with the Skills Funding Agency are now able to apply for funding to support learners undertaking these qualifications.  This good news follows the recent announcement that the Level 5 Diploma in Playwork (NVQ) is accepted by Ofsted as full and relevant for work in a setting on the early years register.

To learn more about these funded qualifications please visit http://www.cache.org.uk and to check which Skills Funding Agency funding streams apply, visit https://gateway.imservices.org.uk/sites/LARA/Pages/aimssearch.aspx

 7/2/12

The number of apprentices in the sport and active leisure sector has increased 600% in the past five years, according to statistics released in time for England’s National Apprenticeship Week (6-12 February).

SkillsActive, the Sector Skills Council for Sport and Active Leisure, issued 9,342 Apprenticeship certificates in the year ending September 2011- up from 1,271 in 2006.

SkillsActive interim CEO Suki Kalirai says the figures show more employers in sport, fitness, caravans, playwork and the outdoors are realising the value of Apprenticeships.

“By using Apprenticeships to train new and existing staff, these employers are reducing business costs, investing in their future workforce and helping alleviate the nation’s unemployment crisis.”

Fit for Sport training manager Jack Shakespeare says 15% of the organisation’s 70 permanent staff train through Apprenticeship programmes; by 2013, he expects that figure to reach 50 per cent.

“Apprenticeships are, in our experience, the most successful way to recruit, develop and retain effective employees,” Jack says. “We are using Apprenticeship programmes to build a well-trained, motivated and loyal workforce which will help us grow and develop our business.”

Outdoor education provider PGL has 180 apprentices across its operations in the UK and France.

PGL Apprenticeship programme manager, Jo Mortimer says: “Apprenticeships are a cost-effective way to provide staff who may not have travelled the academic route with the skills and qualifications we require. Many of our apprentices have developed their management skills and gone on to work at higher levels within the business.”

Apprenticeships are a package of on-the-job training and qualifications which take between one and four years to complete. There are 13 Apprenticeship frameworks available in the sport and active leisure sector in England, covering job roles as diverse as activity leadership, playwork and spectator safety. SkillsActive has designed each framework in consultation with sector employers, to ensure they provide the skills businesses need.

Suki explains that Apprenticeship programmes are not just suited to large employers; small and medium sized businesses now have the opportunity to access funded training through SkillsActive’s Group Training Association.

“Our Group Training Association enables employers running small to medium enterprises to group together and access funded training that would otherwise be out of their reach. This training is delivered through SkillsActive’s network of approved National Skills Academy training providers.

“I encourage all employers, whatever their size, to talk to one of our account managers about how Apprenticeships could work for them.”

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2012, SkillsActive is offering a FREE training package to the first 25 employers to register their interest in Apprenticeship funding on our website.

To learn more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector, and how your business can benefit, please visit www.skillsactive.com/takethelead

3/2/12

SkillsActive is pleased to sponsor the Paul Bonel Special Mention Memorial Award to commemorate the contribution that Paul Bonel, former Head of the Playwork Unit, made to the sector.

Paul worked as a playworker before moving into a development role, supporting and encouraging others to provide opportunities to play.  

Following this, he took up his role with SkillsActive, leading the Playwork team in the development of workforce strategy, occupational standards and qualifications.  

While at SkillsActive he continued his involvement in the delivery of play services through an active involvement in the management of an adventure playground, never losing touch with the children and young people who benefit from play provision.

The Award is being presented at the 10th Annual Playwork Conference in Eastbourne on 6- 7 March 2012.

SkillsActive will also be at the event, offering workshops on the new level 4 and 5 playwork qualifications at the event and explaining the fascinating world of SIC and SOC codes!

To nominate someone for this special award, please visit http://www.playworkconferences.org.uk/Awards.html  

Nominations close Friday 10 February 2012.