Coaching Conference Mission Possible

More coaches, better coaches, more of the time

Brief
Sport Hampshire & IOW applied to the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) through the National Skills Academy (NSA) in January 2010. The bid proposed creating 30 trainee coaches to be deployed across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to support a range new and existing sport programmes.

Community Benefit
A condition of the FJF programme is that jobs created under the scheme must demonstrate added local value and community benefit. The creation of 30 new trainee coach roles will meet this aim by: -

  • Providing an attractive 'first-step' opportunity for those with an interest in a career in sports and sports coaching.
  • Contributing to a reduction in joblessness within specified areas in Hampshire & IOW
  • Supporting a range of local programmes aimed at increasing participation and reducing health inequalities e.g. Sport Unlimited, Club-Links, Change 4 Life clubs, Active Universities, Leadership and Volunteering and local community sport.

Aims & Objectives
The bid aims to achieve a number of objectives within the context of coach development priorities set out by Sport Hampshire & IOW. These include: -

  1. Driving workforce development: helping to develop a professional, qualified and active workforce to meet the needs of a world class community sport system.
  2. Building Capacity: increasing the number of professional, qualified and active coaches deployed across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
  3. Building Capacity: creating a pathway for young people who aspire to work in coaching.


The Project
The aim of the project is to recruit, induct, train, , deploy and develop a team of young coaches who can support existing programmes, but also act as a 'Lifestyle Ambassador Team'. Starting in September 2010, this team will be used to promote healthy lifestyles & leadership through sport to young people. Towards the end of their apprenticeship the team will support the delivery of a Young Coaches Conference, sharing their skills and experiences with other young people.

Exit Routes
The overarching aim of the FJF is to create skilled young people who have increased chances of securing long-term employment opportunities. In order to achieve this we will work with established coach recruiters, deployers and employers i.e. School Sport Partnerships (SSPs), Local Authorities, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and Private Coaching Providers etc., to embed this emerging workforce into the local labour market. In fact, creating partnerships between apprenticeships and local employers is a model that has received much support from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Whilst we cannot guarantee that candidates will be offered long-term employment, we can improve their chances by giving them skills, mentoring and opportunities to gain valuable real-life work experience.

In addition we will broker new opportunities for our trainee coaches to volunteer with our community sports clubs. This will increase their opportunities to co-coach, coach and receive mentoring as well as providing a valuable resource for local community sport.

Deployment Partners
Sport Hampshire & IOW is looking to work with a team of partners to provide these new recruits with opportunities to gain on-the-job training and practical experience in coaching. Partners will be asked to match the recruits with mentor coaches who can support the development of this new workforce.

The FJF candidates will be employed for 25-hours per week for a 6-month period. Over this period the candidates will be provided with a variety of training opportunities including sport-specific qualifications, multi-skills, behaviour management and safeguarding workshops. Deployment partners will be expected to provide localized inductions, relevant to the environments in which the candidates are to be deployed.

Invitation to join the Deployment Team
Sport Hampshire & IOW would like to formally invite organisations to join our deployment team. Initial statements of interest can be made informally by email or phone, specifying how many candidates you would be interested in supporting. There is currently no limit on the number of coaches you can support.