The process of becoming a member of S2S begins with signing up to full membership of S2S.

Up-skilling of coaches

For coaches, the benefits revolve around them being better qualified with easier access to career pathways and development. In order to be successful sports coaching needs to be able to provide career pathways and some form of sustainability. At present most coaches operate in a part-time capacity as the work is mainly sessional therefore by up-skilling and through cross-fertilisation, sports coaches will be in a better position to access full-time work either as employed or as self-employed through their own businesses.

Employment, Self-employment, Placement and Volunteering Opportunities

The sports coaching agency will also work as a broker to bring together employment, placement and volunteer vacancies so that coaches have a number of opportunities to access full time employment, self-employment, placements or volunteering opportunities. This will address the needs of both the employer and the sports coach, providing the employer with the added comfort and verification that the coach they are using has attained certain minimum operating standards and the coach with the added benefits of being able to access employment either through paid employment, self-employment, volunteering or through a placement combined with improved skills training.

Quality Mark

Whilst some NGBs are in the process of establishing licensing/registration schemes this is still limited and the quality of coaching provision is in the main being delivered with little monitoring to check whether coaches have up to date qualifications or are fit for purpose to deliver the activities. The sports coaching agency will address these issues through the monitoring of provision and through the quality mark which will incorporate existing NGB registration schemes and the forthcoming UKCC licensing scheme which should be in place by the end of 2008.

It is intended to utilise and up-skill Sports Development Officers and Community Sports Coaches to assist with the delivery of this element providing them with skills in observing coaches, mentoring, training and coaching the coaches.

Data Collection

Other added benefits will include automatic information collected from the coaches to provide data to organisations who are interested in the statistical information about the coaching profession and key information on the training needs required by coaches.

Coaches into Business

The sports coaching agency will also encourage and enable coaches to become self-employed and to operate as a business which will be regulated through the quality mark that is to be established. Whilst self-employed they will be able to access work through the agency they will also be in a better position, with a recognised quality standard renewable yearly, to negotiate work themselves. The North West Coaching Agency, which is being run as a pilot in that area with support from SportsCoach UK and Sport England, shows even after the first 6 months of operation that this is a key area for development.

Benefits - Employers

For employers the up-skilling and minimum operating standards will ensure that the standard and quality of coaching provision is both improved and maintained through the development and monitoring of sports coaching skills. The minimum operating standards are:

• At least a level 2 NGB Technical qualification
• Child Protection, First Aid and Equity qualified
• Insurance
• Enhanced CRB (if required)

For more information on our coaching services please contact the Project Manager Darren Eales on 01472 267404 or email darreneales@btconnect.com