Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13726)           
UK only International

Retrain to Retain job retention scheme to help 25,000 fitness and sports professionals after tough year

By Tom Walker    19 May 2021
Retrain to Retain will be administered by CIMSPA and partners including UK Coaching and EMD UK / Sport England

A new job retention scheme, backed by National Lottery funding, has been launched to support fitness and sports professionals in England.

Retrain to Retain is designed to support up to 25,000 fitness and sports coaches who’ve have had to find work outside the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic and will prioritise those working in areas of economic deprivation or supporting under-represented groups.

Sport England is investing £5m in the programme, which will provide training, resources, and tools to help coaches and fitness professionals return to work.

It will also offer support up to 5,000 self-employed people or micro-businesses and more than 500 employers to reopen their businesses, by reducing the cost of operation and addressing skills shortages by funding the costs of essential training.

Retrain to Retain will be administered by CIMSPA and a consortium of partners, including UK Coaching and EMD UK.

It will include funding professional accreditations and insurance, investing in specific training programmes and courses and offer access to a wide range of additional resources such as a ‘Workforce Support Line’ and a skills and employability network.

It will also establish an online community of learning which will include blogs, podcasts, advice, and factsheets.

Tara Dillon, chief executive of CIMSPA, said Retrain to Retain will be a major boost to the sport and physical activity workforce, enabling many thousands of professionals to stay in, or return to, the sector.

“From sports coaches to personal trainers, swimming teachers and group exercise instructors, this highly skilled workforce has a vital role in keeping the nation physically and mentally healthy as we emerge from COVID-19,” Dillon said.

Around 30 per cent of sports and fitness coaches are self-employed, with 71 per cent of them having had to find alternative work to ensure income during the pandemic.

Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England CEO, said Retrain to Retain would support a professional workforce who have helped other people to be physically active, but have had to step away from their roles due to the pandemic.

“While it’s been fantastic to see people embrace the return and reopening of sport and physical activity, we must ensure that the sports and fitness professionals who make so much of that happen are supported in every way possible,” Hollingsworth said.

“It has been an extremely tough year for this part of our workforce, and I am delighted we’re able to confirm this investment and this programme as part of our ongoing COVID-19 recovery work.”

National Lotter  Sport England  CIMSPA 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news
Related features

Company profile

Company profile: GLL
GLL
As the UK’s leading provider of both leisure centres and libraries, GLL operate nearly 400 locations all helping to make a real difference to local communities and local people.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Sprung Gym-Flooring: leading fitness flooring provider paves the way for top performance
Introducing Sprung Gym-Flooring, where innovation meets excellence in the world of flooring and sports solutions.
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