Job search
Job Search

Advanced apprenticeships

For the past decade, the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence has been providing young athletes with the support and training they need to succeed in elite sport. Ellen Rowles offers insight into the inner workings of the successful scheme

by Ellen Rowles, SkillsActive | Published in Sports Management 2015 issue 1
Arsenal and England star Jack Wilshere is one of the elite athletes to have benefitted from the AASE programme
Arsenal and England star Jack Wilshere is one of the elite athletes to have benefitted from the AASE programme

From athletes competing at Olympic and Paralympic level, to World and European Championships to professional contracts, there has been no shortage of young talent progressing through the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE). The programme was launched in 2004 when SkillsActive, the sports’ national governing bodies (NGBs) and industry experts wanted to ensure top young athletes received the help and coaching they need to succeed in elite sport. AASE provides a structured training and development route across a number of sports for young, talented athletes (aged 16-19) who have a real chance of excelling in their sport. Created by SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure, the programme is funded by the Skills Funding Agency and supported by Sport England.

The first sport to begin delivery of AASE was football, which offered its Premier League and Football League Education scheme to all 92 professional clubs across England’s top four tiers. Since then, the sports performance apprenticeship has grown and is now offered to 3,000 athletes annually in more 30 sports.

Talent identification
Each AASE programme reflects the range of skills, knowledge and performance criteria required in elite level sport. Crucially, they also give athletes the skills, knowledge and qualifications to pursue a dual career, should they fall short of their ultimate goals. The programme covers performance and knowledge related topics, technical skills, tactical skills, physical capability, nutrition, psychological skills, lifestyle management, career planning, health and safety and communications.

To complete an AASE programme, apprentices must produce a portfolio demonstrating what they’ve learnt about each of the units during their sporting pursuits. This could include a training log, a nutrition diary, video samples or a journal. Apprentices must also work with a qualified assessor to test their understanding and work-based performance.

AASE is a unique talent programme because it is specifically tailored to meet the demands and support the needs of young talented athletes within each individual NGB. The NGB plays a crucial role in the delivery and endorsement of the programme. To be eligible for the apprenticeship, athletes must proven ability and/or the potential to play at the highest level in their sport, determined in collaboration with the NGB of each sport.

Ian Taylor, SkillsActive CEO, said: “The AASE programme provides a clear framework to help apprentices develop their skills and build on their knowledge to become an elite athlete. As well as measuring development in their sport, AASE looks at wider issues such as lifestyle, career path, media communication and health and safety.”

From classroom to Podium
A total of 30 AASE apprentices represented Team GB in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a further four competed at the winter Olympics in Sochi. At last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, there were 23 athletes who had come through the AASE. Some of the most recognisable names in British sport are products of AASE – swimmers Rebecca Adlington, Jemma Lowe and Lauren Steadman; diver Tom Daley; and Arsenal and England footballer Jack Wilshere.

Matt O’Dowd has been delivering the AASE programme for a number of years and manages Loughborough College’s Elite Sport Team. He is currently a sport work related manager on the college’s AASE programme.

He says the system is perfectly geared to deliver sporting excellence as well as secure a career path for athletes.

“The AASE programme is unique as it allows talented young athletes to continue their development as elite sports performers and to aid their progression from junior to senior level,” he said.

“It allows NGBs to offer more quality support from coaches and support services at this crucial time. For many NGBs, AASE has created a new level in the performance pathway and information gathered as part of AASE can follow the athlete through the pathway and on to senior elite level. Here at Loughborough College we currently run AASE with England Hockey, British Athletics, Rugby League, England Netball, Volleyball England, England Squash and Racketball and Short Track Skating.”

Each NGB delivers the AASE differently and there are currently more than 2,500 athletes on the programme throughout England. SkillsActive will continue to support NGBs to deliver success for programmes for rising talent and also looks to encourage new sports which are not currently engaged in the programme to begin delivery.

Find out more: www.skillsactive.com/aase

Sports currently engaged in the AASE programme:

• Aquatics
• Athletics
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Equestrian – (Showjumping, Dressage)
• Fencing
• Football
• Golf
• Handball
• Hockey
• Horse Racing
• Judo
• Modern Pentathlon
• Netball
• Rowing
• Rugby League
• Rugby Union – (Men & Women)
• Skating (Figure, Short Track, Speed)
• Snowsports (From next year)
• Squash
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball

Andrew Willis
Andrew Willis

Name: Andrew Willis
Sport: Swimming
Date of Birth: 3 December 1990
Home Town: Frimley, Surrey
AASE: 2007-2009

Success: Final in Olympics 2012, Bronze at Glasgow 2014

200m breaststroke swimmer who completed the AASE programme in 2009.

“The AASE programme taught to me to become an all-rounded athlete. Combining the sport with education has been perfect for me and I have been able to use the information I learnt about nutrition and physiology to help me prepare as best as possible.”

Jackson Wray
Jackson Wray

Name: Jackson Wray
Sport: Rugby (Saracens)
Date of Birth: 10 Nov 1990
Home Town: Sunderland
AASE: 2007-2009

Success: Saracens senior player, England player

Jackson Wray was spotted by a talent agent during a county game and asked to start training with the junior academy Saracens team. He was encouraged to enrol on the AASE programme when he was 16 and he finished the two-year programme in the summer of 2009.

“If I hadn’t joined the AASE programme at Saracens then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I trained on average 3-4 hours a day, usually in the morning, and then attended college every afternoon except Wednesdays to complete my technical certificate. It’s the perfect tool for athletes and coaches in any sport to get a better understanding of each other, so their relationship grows stronger and as a result their performance improves.”

Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington

Name: Rebecca Adlington
Sport: Swimming
Date of Birth: 17 Feb 1989
Home Town: Mansfield
AASE: 2006-2008

Success: Double Olympic gold medallist / Double Olympic Bronze medallist

Having now retired from a glittering career which saw her win two gold medals at the Beijing Games and two bronze medals at London 2012, Rebecca has since gone on to open her own swim school, Becky Adlington’s SwimStars.  

"My AASE apprenticeship with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) provided me with high quality training and gave me the opportunity to gain qualifications at the same time. Winning two gold medals in Beijing and breaking a world record was the greatest achievement of my life and hopefully we’ll see many of the AASE apprentices competing for Great Britain over the next few years."

Sign up for FREE ezines

Company profile

Company profile: InBody UK
InBody provides products that are accurate, medically rated holding a CE mark and certified to ISO standards for the medical and health and fitness industry.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Elevate registrations soar: a record-breaking start to Elevate 2024
Elevate, the premier event in the physical activity, fitness, sports therapy and performance sector, is thrilled to announce that registrations for its 2024 conference are now live – and the response has been nothing short of exceptional.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

11-14 Apr 2024
Exhibition Centre , Cologne, Germany
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
More diary dates