WIREDGOV

Funding to create 2,000 new jobs for young people in sport has been announced by the Government as part of its £1 billion Future Jobs Fund.

SkillsActive, one of Sport England’s national partners, will help to shape the qualifications, training and continuous professional development the young employees need. The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, part of the SkillsActive Group, will deliver the Future Jobs Fund programme in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, a number of NGBs, the Prince’s Trust and the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust.

Together they will create and support new jobs in sport, giving young people the opportunity to develop careers in coaching, leadership and sports development. Sport England is currently working with county sports partnerships and several other NGBs to examine the potential to create further opportunities through the fund.

“This is a big boost for community sport,” said Ben Bradshaw MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and sport. “These jobs will create a new generation of talented sports coaches, administrators and community health workers – exactly the people who will help us deliver a lasting legacy from the London Olympics.”

The Future Jobs Fund will provide funding for 150,000 posts – at least 100,000 for young people and 50,000 in unemployment hotspots. Young people can apply for jobs through the fund after being unemployed for 10 months.

The initiative was announced as Sport England agreed to invest £1.38 million in SkillsActive over the next two years. SkillsActive is being funded to support 46 NGBs as they put in place workforce development plans that will ensure all employees have the expertise to deliver for grassroots sport. The benefits of this investment include:

• Upskilling and professionalising staff
• Increasing the sport sector’s investment in training
• Matching training supply to demand
• Improving recruitment and retention.

By working with sports to ensure qualifications offered by NGBs meet national standards, SkillsActive will also help them to leverage further investment from beyond the sport sector.

For more information about SkillsActive go to their website.

You can find out more about the fund on the Future Jobs Fund website.