Approved National Academy Providers and Centres of Excellence:

Aquatic Instruction

• Amateur Swimming Association

Health and Fitness

• Lifetime (Centre of Excellence)
• Premier Training
• Drummond Education / Fitpro
• Focus Training Ltd
• Spirit Health Clubs (IHG)
• The Skills Partnership

Major Events

• World Academy of Sport (Centre of Excellence)

Sport Development

• ISPAL

Outdoors

• JBE Training & Development
• System Group

The National Skills Academy, Supported by the National Apprenticeship Service, has recently delivered two Funding Opportunities Seminars to update employers in the North West on the latest funding available and how the Skills Academy can support employers to access this funding.

Around 60 employers attended the events, ranging from professional football and rugby clubs to independent fitness chains and local authorities.

There was a commitment from employers attending the events to make use of the Funding Eligibility Service to discover how many of their staff could be eligible for Apprenticeship funding. This new service features a simple online form which allows organisations to survey all their existing staff and establish who could be benefiting from funded training to support them in their job role. For more information on the Funding Eligibility Service and to express interest in funded training for your staff, visit www.sportactivensa.co.uk/eligibilityform.

For those in the Cumbria or North Lancashire area, a third Funding Opportunities Seminar is planned in the coming months – keep an eye on the National Skills Academy’s Events pages for future details.

Volunteering plays an important role in the sport and active leisure sector, with many local community schemes being run and managed by volunteers. There are many opportunities open to people in the sector - from government funding to free training and qualifications.

For funding opportunities in coaching, please see our Coaching Investment Programe.

How do I become a volunteer?

There are several different ways to become a sports volunteer:

• To find out about volunteering in a particular sport, you need to contact the National Governing Body for that sport

• If you wish to volunteer in a particular area, you can find out what your local County Sports Partnership has on offer for sport volunteers, including training for coaches and officials

• You can also benefit from coaching bursaries if you want to become a qualified coach in a sport

• There are also online resources run by local community groups, including the Do It site where you can find your local Volunteer Centre