The SkillsActive Group designs apprenticeship frameworks to help businesses train employees to a high level of competency and performance. We also coordinate apprenticeship training through the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure network of top quality training providers.
Use the buttons on the right to select a programme or project in the Sport sector you would like to read about.
The SkillsActive Group designs apprenticeship frameworks to help businesses train employees to a high level of competency and performance. We also coordinate apprenticeship training through the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure network of top quality training providers.
AASE is the SkillsActive’s Group’s flagship sporting qualification for young people with the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport, either by competing on the world stage or securing a professional contract.
Mark says the leisure industry has a steady turnover rate so keeping quality staff is critical. He is committed to the training and development of SCL workforce, with special emphasis on staff recruitment and retention at its seven facilities.
"We have a development plan for everybody at SCL from me down, which is reviewed twice yearly," he says. "It combines training for job specific skills with future development potential. So even if a person doesn't want to progress beyond their current job, they've got the training to stay motivated and energised and improve the way they carry it out."
SCL works with SkillsActive to supply staff with a "menu of relevant, meaningful training" up to NVQ level 4.
"SkillsActive provides a single point of contact for our training needs and requirements. The most junior person benefitting from brokered training is a greeter and the most senior is a centre manager."
Apprenticeships provide the work-ready people we need
Mark says the active leisure industry needs commonsense people with strong intrapersonal skills and practical skills. He believes in career progression through vocational training and is also a firm advocate of apprenticeships.
"Apprenticeships allow people who are more practically focussed to gain the appropriate qualifications to work in our sector. And with the government cut back on spending, and University caps, apprenticeships are more relevant now than ever before."
SCL has provided about six people with apprenticeships in the past year, mainly in leisure attendance and recreation assistant roles.
"In the past we've experienced considerable turnover because people find their way to us by accident as opposed to actually wanting to be involved in the industry. We want people to come to us because they've chosen it as a career, and apprenticeships, which are designed by SkillsActive, are a good way for us to achieve this."
Investing in tomorrow's workforce today
To ensure it has a workforce with the right skills to meet anticipated future growth, the company signed up for the Future Jobs Fund Programme.
The Future Jobs Fund programme, delivered by SkillsActive’s National Skills Academy, provided 5000 young unemployed people with six months training and work experience in the sport and active leisure sector. It was funded by the government and supported by 175 employer partners nationwide.
"They proved very useful to us, and we felt as though we were providing them with meaningful work experience. This gave us the confidence to take on more people."
Activepassport gives employers confidence
By working with SkillsActive's network of recognised training providers, Mark ensures his staff access quality training. But verifying the training completed by prospective staff can be difficult. For this reason, Mark volunteered Sencio to be one of the first companies to trial the activepassport system.
Activepassport is a secure online record of an individual's skills, qualifications and training, which is independently verified. Fourteen staff at Sencio populated their activepassport as part of the trial in mid-2010, and Mark says the system has a lot of potential.
"As an individual, it helps you keep an accurate record of your training and skills. As an employer; it gives you confidence that any prospective candidate has in fact undertaken the quality leisure specific training they claim."
"I would like to see everybody involved in the sector have an activepassport to follow them throughout their career."
The 18-year-old is an apprentice at Goldhill Adventure Playground in Leicester, and his supervisor is none other than his grandmother, senior playwork instructor Dee Dixon.
"We get on really well and she treats me exactly the same as the other workers," Josh says. "She encourages me to do well but if I get told off, it's that much more embarrassing because we're family."
Josh, who used to work part time at Goldhill Adventure Playground, always wanted to work in sports. He decided to leave school at 16 when he learned he could fast track his career by taking up an apprenticeship at the workplace he'd come to know and love.
"I'm a practical minded person and I was getting bored at school," he says.
Josh met with Leicester College NVQ trainer assessor Charlotte Coulson, who recommended he undertake the apprenticeship in activity leadership as it most closely matched his responsibilities at the playground.
An average day for Josh involves arriving at the playground at 2.30pm and setting up the site and equipment for sport activities. He will then lead anywhere between 40 and 50 children in a range of sports until 6pm. During holidays, he helps provide full day care for anywhere up to 250 children.
"Every day is different," he says. "Unlike at school, here the children get to play whatever sport they want so I've got to be ready and willing to instruct in a range of sports."
As well as gaining valuable work experience, Josh has achieved recognised qualifications including FA Level 2 football coaching badge and his first aid certificate. He put the latter to use at an 11 aside football tournament.
"Two lads banged heads during a game, which left one with a cut eyebrow," he says. "I kept him calm, bandaged his wound and made sure he went to hospital incase it was something more serious."
Resurrecting and coaching Goldhill Adventure Playground's 11 aside football team is one of Josh's proudest achievements: "They've now made the league and are doing really well."
After finishing his apprenticeship in activity leadership, Josh began an advanced apprenticeship in sports development. He is now working with the newly reopened Southfields sports centre to promote its activities and services and lead football sessions.
"I'm learning great skills, working flexible hours and earning money. It's great."
Josh reckons he's matured a lot during his apprenticeship - he's more confident, responsible and sure about his future path: "When my apprenticeship finishes next August, I want to start a University foundation learning course. Ultimately, I want to combine my interests in sports and working with young people and be a PE teacher."
Charlotte has no doubt Josh will achieve his dreams: "He's an excellent student, he loves sports and he's willing to put the work in. He has all the qualities to be a great teacher."
SkillsActive, the sector skills council for sport and active leisure, has designed the apprenticeship frameworks to help businesses train employees to a high level of competency and performance.
There are four types of apprenticeships available in the active learning, learning and wellbeing sector. They provide a mix of practical and technical skills that allow development at work and progression to further education.
To find out more about Apprenticeships in the sport and active leisure sector please see Apprenticeships
London Leisure College is the leading provider of leisure qualifications and training. We are the Centre of Excellence for Leisure Operations with the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure as well as Academy Provider for Stewarding & Events and Health & Fitness.
Developed as a partnership between GLL, London's leading Leisure Trust and Greenwich Community College, the leading further education provider in Greenwich, London Leisure College works with an ever increasing range of employers and colleges across London. Independent awards support our success for example The Beacon Award for Employer Links from the association of Colleges, Most Innovative Project in London from Skills Funding Agency.
We pride ourselves on developing the highest quality courses which reflect the latest industry and employer needs. Our courses are taught by exceptional tutors that have recent, relevant industry experience. We run courses all over London and have two operational bases at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and The Eltham Centre.
London Leisure College delivers Apprenticeships, Work Based Learning (NVQs), statutory qualifications and distance learning courses across the Sport and Leisure sector. You can book a single place on any given course or arrange for a specific course to be delivered at a time and venue to suit your needs.
Contact Details:
Telephone: 020 8676 7550
Email
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Website: www.londonleisurecollege.co.uk
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