Athletics Apprenticeship gets Olympic launch

Olympic medallist, Steve Cram launched a new apprenticeship for budding sportsmen and women last week. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in athletics gives young people the skills they need to compete at an international level.

Olympic medallist, Steve Cram launched a new apprenticeship for budding sportsmen and women last week. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in athletics gives young people the skills they need to compete at an international level.

AASE is the first programme of its kind in the world where industry experts work with young people over two years to nurture and refine their sporting talent. The programme consists of eight modules including nutrition, psychology and physiology.

It is hoped some of the apprentices will go on to compete in the 2012 Olympics but the programme is also designed to give young people skills they can use outside of a sporting career.

Steve Cram, Olympic runner commented: “I achieved a great many things in my sporting career. Along the way a number of great athletes have missed out on achieving their goals because they didn’t have the support they needed. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, in particular for athletics, will help young elite athletes realise their dream of competing at the Olympics and ensure they have all the support they need, as well as making sure they fulfil their potential after their sporting career is over.”

The launch at Twickenham Rugby stadium also attended by David Lammy MP, Minister for Skills, and 100 AASE apprentices marked the second anniversary of the scheme which is now available in 10 different sporting disciplines such as football, cricket and tennis. Approximately 2000 young people are enrolled on the scheme and the first apprentices graduated last week in the rugby football discipline.

Suzanne Collins, an 18 year old student in Leeds, who is completing her second year of the AASE in diving, believes the programme has been really useful. “It’s really helped me improve in lots of different areas, for example my training has become more focused and worthwhile.” She said. “My main goal is definitely 2012.”

The event coincided with the inaugural Apprenticeship week organised by the Learning Skills Council which annually celebrates the ongoing success of apprenticeships. In the future the Learning Skills Council and Skills Active who run the programme plan to create a similar young apprenticeship scheme for 14-16 year olds.

Marie Kemplay