National sports charity, StreetGames, today announced that it’s leading an industry consortium to develop a new community sport apprenticeship as part of the Government’s Trailblazer programme.
The Community Health and Sport Activator apprenticeship is being created to encourage young people to lead more active, healthier lifestyles and in doing so, divert vulnerable youngsters away from anti-social behaviour and crime.
For the first time, this apprenticeship will look to merge the skills, knowledge and behaviours from public health, sports development, physical activity, youth work, play work, social cohesion and community engagement. This new collaborative approach aims to create a workforce equipped with the skills to successfully engage with young people for positive social change.
StreetGames is working with fifteen committed employers from across the UK to develop the apprenticeship. Over a nine month period, the employers will come together to consult and develop a new standard in community sport and support the pathway to sustainable employment.
The first members of the Community Health and Sport Activator Trailblazer to be announced are;
| Manchester City Council | Wigan Leisure Trust |
| Birmingham City Council | Communities United Project Yorkshire |
| Newcastle City Council | Derbyshire Sporting Futures |
| City of Stoke on Trent | Places for people Leisure |
| Salford Community Leisure | Active Nation |
| Chorley Borough Council | Street League |
| Active Essex |
Jane Ashworth, CEO of StreetGames, said: “For eight years, we’ve been using sport for social good – helping disadvantaged youngsters lead more active lifestyles and get on in life. We’re delighted that we, with the help of our partners, now have the opportunity to develop a pathway that will directly lead these young people into the workplace. Our hope is that our programme will ultimately help create the leaders of the future who are able to inspire the next generation.”
Minister for Skills, Nick Boles, said: “Businesses must have their say in training tomorrow’s workforce. Giving employers like StreetGames the power to design apprenticeships means apprentice graduates have the skills they need for the job they want and businesses get the talent they need to grow. Young people on these programmes will have the opportunity to learn sought-after skills and enjoy a great start to a working life.”
Phil Smith, Director of Sport at Sport England, said: “Sports apprenticeships provide an opportunity for people to develop their skills and use them to benefit their local community. We are proud to be partnering with Street Games and communities across England to make such a positive change to the workforce in sport.”
Steve Hassall, Chief Executive of Salford Community Leisure, said: “We have seen first hand the positive impact apprenticeships have on the lives of young people in Salford and the wider local community. We are delighted to be part of the consortium to develop the blueprint for world class apprenticeships in community sport.”
The Department for Business, Innovations & Skills (BIS) launched the apprenticeship Trailblazer programme in October 2013. Since launch the programme has gone from strength to strength with well over a 1,000 organisations designing apprenticeships.
