CIMSPA Joins DWP’s Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy Pilot

A new initiative between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the professional body for the sport and physical activity sector will help jobseekers find work and in turn help their communities to lead healthier, happier lives.

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) is pleased to be extending its partnership with DWP with a new initiative across four areas of the UK to help jobseekers start great careers in the sport and physical activity sector.

Through referral from Jobcentre Plus local teams, jobseekers will be able to join DWP’s Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy where they will receive dedicated pre-employment support and experience within the sector followed by the opportunity to gain an accredited, recognised qualification, and a guaranteed job interview. The Employability Academy will also provide the individuals with sector recognised professional status which will boost their employability and enable them to take on roles which help more people in their community become physically active.

CIMSPA is working with its employer partners and its endorsed education providers that have met the highest level of quality assurance to enable the Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy to provide experiences and learning that meets the sector’s employment needs.

The Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy will initially be piloted in Scotland, West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA said,

“The sport and physical activity sector employs around 600,000 people and we’re seeing employers struggling to recruit the workforce that they need with thousands of vacancies across the country every month.

“Each person working in our sector positively impacts hundreds of lives every year, helping communities to get active, improving physical and mental wellbeing, preventing long-term health conditions that cost the NHS millions, and helping more people to be economically active because they are physically able to work.

“We’re proud to be working with DWP to pilot the Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy, offer jobseekers a great opportunity to discover a career in our fantastic sector.

“Critically, this work is being led by insight which shows us the skills and roles that employers in the sector need based on local and regional priorities. It has helped to shape the training being provided as part of this pilot which all meets the professional standards defined and valued by employers.

“This approach is crucial to ensuring that those people who are part of the Employability Academy have a real opportunity to start and build a sustainable career which will benefit them with financial independence, their families and their communities.”

DWP are working alongside CIMSPA to pilot the Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy because they recognise the significant opportunities within sport and physical activity for people to find work and develop careers. They have welcomed data from employer diagnostics that shows the skills and people that the sector needs and they recognise that the right training and professional accreditation is key to connecting jobseekers to employers.

As part of the Sport and Physical Activity Employability Academy, Jobcentre customers will be able to gain professional status which will enable them to be recognised as skilled practitioners, helping them to stand out when they are seeking to develop their career in the sector.

This pilot will also strengthen the links between local DWP leads and CIMSPA’s local skills delivery team to further enhance skills development and work opportunities in each locality, supporting place-based initiatives that deliver on local priorities.

As part of this collaborative work, CIMSPA will also be working to support over 130 DWP School Advisers, who are working across over a thousand schools, with access to careers guidance on opportunities available to inspire young people to consider a career in the sport and physical activity sector.

Natasha Eason, Associate Director of Education at CIMSPA who is leading the collaboration with DWP said,

“The sport and physical activity sector offers a wealth of opportunities for those seeking a meaningful, flexible career with excellent prospects for personal and professional development. A career in this sector can be truly life-changing, not just for an individual, but for the people and communities that they support by helping them lead healthier, more active lives.

“To do this effectively, we need a workforce that not only understands the barriers people face but is also equipped to engage and inspire those who are currently inactive.

“It’s also important to recognise that roles in training, coaching, and delivering physical activity are just one part of the sector. There is a growing demand for skilled professionals across a wide range of functions including customer service, marketing, IT, facilities management, and more.

“The sport and physical activity sector has some huge benefits for someone looking for a fulfilling role that is flexible and offers great development opportunities. By building a career in our sector you really can change lives, helping people to be healthier and happier through being more active.

“There are some perceptions of what it’s like to work in our sector, and the type of person that you need to be to be part of it. We want to bust those myths and make more people aware that often the practitioners that have the most impact are the ones that reflect the communities that they work with. As policy is being developed and implemented to support people that are economically inactive, this is particularly important. We know that often economic inactivity is linked to physical inactivity, and by helping people to improve their active wellbeing we can increase their confidence to undertake a more active life, including working or volunteering. The key to this is having a workforce that understands the challenges that people face and who can engage those that are inactive.

“We really see this partnership, and crucially our alignment on the importance of localised working to support local people and communities, as integral to supporting more great people to become part of our talented, dedicated workforce.”

This collaboration with DWP is being facilitated alongside the Local Skills Project which is managed by CIMSPA and funded by Sport England. This project brings together stakeholders across a locality to ensure that skills provision matches local employer needs and aligns with local health, economic and social priorities.