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National Skills Academy to aid industry
As part of the preparation and upskilling of the workforce for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the government has endorsed SkillsActive to proceed to the next stage in creating a National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure. The skills academy will apparently revolutionise the sport and active leisure industry by providing one single and coherent approach to all skills training in the sector.
Employers in the sport and leisure sector are facing major difficulties. While employment has grown at 3.9% per annum – four times that of the whole of UK industry put together – handling such growth remains constrained by a workforce with a low skills base. Twenty per cent of the industry’s 36,500 organisations report skills gaps and only 40% of all training is government subsidised. In addition, 29% of the leisure workforce are not qualified up to Level 2 NVQ or equivalent.
The skills academy will operate via nine regional hubs in England as well as an innovative website where people can access the academy virtually. The location of three hubs has already been selected based on employer demand and pledged investment. The first will open in London, initially at Crystal Palace in 2008, before moving into the London 2012 Olympic Stadium immediately after the Games. The other centres will be located at Sheffield United FC and COMET (Centre for Outdoor Management, Education and Training) in Penrith.
Stephen Studd, Chief Executive at SkillsActive, said: “The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure will train 100,000 new entrants, existing staff and future leaders, in the sport and active leisure industry every year. With the Olympics in 2012 and the government’s targets to see 50% of the nation active by 2020, the industry will need to fill 100,000 new jobs by 2014 plus 85,000 new employees each year to replace leavers alone. And this is without the army of volunteers who support the sector in clubs and other organisations.”
The London hub will also act as the national base where the skills academy board will manage the setting up, governance and operation of the skills academy including endorsing all the products and services offered. In addition, the board will ensure consistency of delivery throughout the network and endorse any national training providers selected.
Key national partners of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure include Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL), Sheffield United FC, Westminster City Council, Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Rugby Football Union (RFU), English Cricket Board (ECB), PGL, Outward Bound, Brathay Hall, St Albans Council, Birmingham City Council and Fitness First.
For further details on the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, visit www.skillsactive.com/academy or read our interview with Stephen Studd in the January issue of SGB – Sports and Outdoor.
