Sport students at two Yorkshire colleges to benefit from partnership

Sport students at Barnsley College (@barnsleycollege) and Wakefield College (@wakeycollege) will be provided with the opportunity to gain additional skills and knowledge alongside their course to enhance their employability, as part of a partnership initiative.

The Student Ambassador Programme, led by Yorkshire Sport Foundation in collaboration with charity StreetGames, and Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, will provide almost 50 students (32 at Barnsley College, 13 at Wakefield College) additional learning and support alongside their course. This will come through formal qualifications provided by StreetGames, and expert led workshops.

Students will then have the chance to use the knowledge and skills to support people in their district to be active. This could include delivering coaching sessions at local sports clubs, organising events for primary school children, or providing opportunities for their peers to move more. The Carnegie School of Sport will carry out research into the impact of the scheme, as well as providing the students with future study and career guidance as part of the programme.

Darren Huart, who leads the programme for Yorkshire Sport Foundation, commented:

“This is a really exciting opportunity for students to further enhance their chances of employment within the sport and physical activity sector.

“The expertise and qualifications provided by StreetGames will be hugely valuable, as will the opportunity to put that into practice for the benefit of not only their own development, but for the activity levels of the community.”

“In order to fully develop our students for a working life in the ‘real world’, we eagerly anticipated the Ambassador Programme and feel fortunate to see our students benefit and thrive both last year and this,” said Amanda Sowerby, Physical Activity and Sport Co-ordinator at Barnsley College.

“Yorkshire Sport Foundation have thoughtfully put a balanced programme together to enhance the student experience and it matches our expectations for our young people, offering an innovative way to ‘dress up’ our courses, ensuring delivery material comes alive, is relevant and opens eyes and doors to possibilities. Working with them on the programme has also complimented our belief in education for the whole person, shaping knowledge, skills, values and respect.’’

“We are delighted to once again be working with Yorkshire Sport Foundation and Street Games,” said Tina Johnson, Sports Lecturer at Wakefield College. We really value the partnership and the Ambassador programme as it gives our students a real insight into the working world of sport development and coaching, as well as providing them with some amazing opportunities to develop their skills.”

Louise Morby, Senior Lecturer in Sport Development and Management at Carnegie School of Sport, added:

“It’s great to be involved in such an important project as we are investing in the future sports industry workforce, which is fundamental to addressing some of the inequalities that still exist in sport and physical activity. Our role is to help the ambassadors understand the wider social issues that sport can cause, but can also help reduce.”

Kate Roberts, Regional Workforce and Training Lead at StreetGames, said:

“StreetGames are delighted to be supporting Yorkshire Sport Foundation in the delivery of the college ambassador programme this year.

“After such a challenging period, this is such a positive opportunity for young people to gain confidence and knowledge in delivering sport and physical activity through a large range of StreetGames workshops, activators and courses, as well as to gain invaluable experience volunteering at locally trusted community organisations.  The enthusiasm of students to be involved is fantastic and will stand them in great stead to really maximise the benefits from the opportunity.”