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FIA UPDATE


David Stalker, CEO of the FIA, reports on a busy fortnight with the Vanguard Group – from networking with politicians to sharing best practice with market-leading brands


I


n the short space of two weeks, the FIA (Fitness Industry Association) Vanguard Group heard how to create


a McJob, debated Body Confi dence with a government minister, learnt how the Olympic Legacy extends beyond the logo, and dined out with one half of the coalition in a perfect example of what the group is all about. T ese encounters were part of the


autumn series of Vanguard events and included two focus groups, the quarterly Vanguard Council, and the Vanguard Liberal Democrat Dinner.


an olympic legacy T e fi rst event – with the tier one Olympic sponsor, Lloyds TSB – focused on how the physical activity sector can help deliver a long-lasting legacy from the Games. Lloyds TSB representatives presented their research on the eff ect of the Games, including the £5.1bn total stimulus to the UK economy, a £750m boost in consumer spending for the seven weeks of the Games, and a £1.14bn increase in UK economic output during those seven weeks. But despite these fi gures and the


notorious ‘Wimbledon eff ect’ – the three- month window of intensifi ed sports participation around major elite sporting events – the group also heard that there has never been a real and measurable Olympic physical activity legacy, which is both our challenge and our opportunity.


redefining the ‘mcjob’ Next up was McDonald’s, who gathered leading fi gures from the HR departments of Vanguard Group operators and training providers to present the impressive tale of how it took “McJob” from a derogatory term to one of the most successful apprenticeship schemes in the UK. T e group heard how, in 2006,


McDonald’s realigned its recruitment and training strategy, abandoning the focus on qualifi cations in its recruitment and choosing to focus on psychometric tests, and more importantly on-the-job testing.


24 Emphasised throughout


the day was the focus on understanding what your employees think about working for you. McDonald’s undertook a wide-ranging internal survey of employees to inform its training strategy. T rough this exercise, it


learnt that employees had a huge desire for further training, and so decided to off er voluntary qualifi cations in literacy and numeracy. T is was just the start, and McDonald’s now operates its own awarding body and apprenticeships programme, which has seen almost 30,000 qualifi cations delivered to date.


dinner debate Lastly, on 25 October 2011, the entire Vanguard Group – comprising representatives from 30 member organisations – came together to review the progress of the FIA Public Aff airs and Policy strategy, covering everything from music licensing to engaging with the medical community. T e group also heard from the Minister


for Equalities, Lynne Featherstone, on how the sector can promote healthy body images, and the Department of Health’s Director of Health and Wellbeing, Liz Woodeson, on how the department is supporting physical activity and the progress of establishing new local health commissioning groups. In the evening, the group sat down for


dinner with the Liberal Democrat Party, including the party spokesman for the Olympics, Tom Brake, and several of his political colleagues. T e room also included the chief medical offi cer for the Olympics – Dr Richard Budgett OBE – as well as Sport England, Lloyds TSB, Asda, and the Olympics’ ad agency McCann Worldgroup.


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital T e Department of Health’s Liz Woodeson speaks to the Council All the guests were made to ‘earn their


dinner’, with discussion on a range of topics including commercial brands’ plans post-Olympics, Sport England’s plans to increase sports participation, and the change to VAT eligibility for sporting activities.


sharing best practice Events such as these are a great opportunity for Vanguard members to learn best practice, oſt en looking at lessons from a diff erent sector, and discuss the key issues and challenges we face as an industry. Large companies such as Lloyds


TSB and McDonald’s do not open their doors and share the secrets of their success with just anyone, and these events demonstrate just how far the Vanguard group has come. T e outcomes from these events


provide a progressive structure for my team to work towards, and I look forward to what our Vanguard members bring to the table next.


january 2012 © cybertrek 2012


NEWS vanguard group: a quest for knowledge


Health Club Management is the FIA’s Public Affairs Media Partner


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