Spotlight Saturday is a chance to highlight some of the brilliant individuals, groups, and workforce that we work with to help increase the county’s residents’ activity levels, making health and wellbeing a key staple in their life.
We understand the vital importance that the workforce plays on our sector and ensuring we have highly skilled people in every position. Our sport and physical activity sector can play a key role in tackling inequalities and reaching a wider audience. Scott, a Level 2 Community Activator Coach Apprentice, based in South West is somebody we have been able to support with his career endeavours in our sector. Due to his disability, it left him uncertain about how he would cope in a full-time working environment and an apprenticeship felt like a safe place to explore this. Having struggled to find apprenticeship opportunities in the sporting field, he then saw the Coach Core apprenticeship opportunity on Facebook, which opened the right door for him.
Since then, he’s played a lot of different sports but has found his place, competing in the Wheelchair Rugby League. Scott said: “I’ve been doing my apprenticeship for almost a year now and it’s been a great experience, I split my work between two employers, Essex Cricket and Red Balloon Foundation. My role with Essex Cricket mainly involves coaching their disability and wheelchair cricket sections and the role with Red Balloon Foundation involves youth work across West Essex.”
The Coach Core Apprenticeship Programme offers young people the opportunity to work with partners on the ground with people in the community, in addition to the opportunity to gain additional qualification, such as Paediatric First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid and Coaching Certificates. Scott now has experience of working with different audiences and people, all of which has really boosted his confidence and skills.
As a result of his apprenticeship Scott hopes to develop his career in Youth Work and would like to use his coaching experience in Sport & Physical Activity as a tool to support young people through challenges they may face. His apprenticeship has enabled him to meet a variety of different people, provided him with support and confidence for the next steps.
Hollie Wood, Assistant Relationship Manager at Active Essex said: “It is so great to see that Scott has found his place within the Sport & Physical Activity Sector through a community sports apprenticeship. The sector is diverse in roles and opportunities, working with people, guiding them to achieve goals, realising their protentional and connecting with their communities.
Throughout the pandemic, the government prioritised the importance of physical activity and this has created an exciting opportunity for the sector. It is key that physical activity and sport is managed and delivered by a diverse range of people who are inclusive, highly skilled, and able to join the movement in ensuring everyone enjoys the benefits of an active lifestyle. Scott has not only changed his own future pathways but also become a positive influence in communities that need sports provision most.”
