SCHOOL LEAVER SPECIAL


A wide range of courses are on off er across the UK to help school leavers fi nd a job in health/fi tness


from when it comes to fi lling positions, so it is essential that school leavers distinguish themselves from their peers. Wallace describes how Lifetime is devel-


oping its entry into employment training programmes, to help school leavers to gain a job and stand out from other young peo- ple: “In response to the feedback we have received from the employers we work with, we have developed our programmes to pro- vide learners with a clear development path consisting of three key components: pre- employment skills training delivered via our Early Years Care and Fitness Academies, support into a relevant job and access to an apprenticeship programme off ering on the job training and skills development. “T rough our Fitness Academy, for exam-


ple, school leavers can expect to enhance their skills in areas such as customer ser- vice and fi rst aid, in addition to learning the more technical qualifi cations in fi tness, delivering well rounded individuals to fi t- ness related apprentice positions. “In addition to delivering training solu-


tions that meet the needs of employers, small to large across the industry, we also deliver employer specifi c courses to meet individual business needs. Our recently developed bespoke fi tness programme with Leisure Connection, for example, allows for young people to train for a position as an apprentice with the operator, earning from day one, and directly delivering against the organisation’s needs,” Wallace adds.


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We as an industry must ensure young people are provided with a clear path to aid their career progression


An operator that works closely with


Lifetime to upskill and develop its new and existing staff is DC Leisure. Richard Millard, sports development and operations sup- port director at DC Leisure, says: “A set of employees who are fully trained with role relevant qualifi cations is the most valuable asset that can diff erentiate a club and impact upon its customers’ experiences.”


The perfect employee... But, with training providers delivering hun- dreds of quality school leavers to apprentice positions per year, how do employers go about fi nding the best employees for the jobs on off er? T e National Skills Academy for Sport


and Active Leisure (Skills Academy) is aid- ing employers with their search with the launch of a free, new job matching website, helping employers to fi nd talented, work ready candidates, www.activegraduates.com. T e service allows employers to search


for new recruits from the ActiveGraduates database, which contains the profi les of hundreds of young people who have suc- cessfully completed the Future Jobs Fund programme, a scheme which trained and placed 5,000 young people over two years.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


T e service is free – employers simply need to inform the Skills Academy when they hire from the site. Florence Orban, chief executive of the


Skills Academy, says: “Each ActiveGraduate has undergone quality assured training in areas such as sales and administration, fi rst aid and fi tness and coaching. T ey also have six months, hands-on work experience in the sport and active leisure industry, making them an attractive option for employers. “T e young people on this website are


competent, qualifi ed and ready to take the next step in their career. T ey are passionate about working in the sport and active leisure sector so are perfect for employers look- ing to fi nd people who will be able to hit the ground running as well as spend their career in the sector.”


Climbing the ladder... “Once young people have made the decision to enter our sector, we as an industry must ensure they are provided with a clear path to aid their career progression and climb the leisure ladder,” says Studd. “T e launch of the Skills Protocol by SPELG addresses these needs, aiming to create a single qualifi cation structure led by employers.”


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2011


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