Coaching Communities project
We developed a model to enhance the opportunity for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop as coaches in sport. The project has been supported for five years by the Pathways to Employment programme. In 2006 we further enhanced the project by linking with the Triple S programme. The Triple S project was created with the intention of enabling more people living within Sandwell to take part in sport and physical activity. The programme has been further enhanced by funding through the Learning and Skills Council from August 2009 in partnership with Wolverhampton College with matched funding through the Sport England Community Investment Fund.
The project has been very successful in its main aims to address the balance of local coaches volunteering and coaching in their communities and also the high number of people with low/few qualifications and those who are long term unemployed living within the Sandwell Borough.
THE PROGRAMME
We deliver the Coaching Communities Programme every twelve weeks. The Programme consists of the following;
• An individual needs assessment and induction
• 3 Sports Coach UK Workshops and an Emergency First Aid Course
• A National Governing Body Level 1 Award / Level 2 in Community Sports Leadership Award
• Work placement at a club / organization of the candidates choice
• Employment options, signposting and advice
To date the programme has enabled over one hundred candidates to become qualified to level 1 standard. This has helped to increase the number of high quality coaches in Sandwell qualified to support grassroots delivery of a wide range of sports and activities. Additionally a number of candidates have gone on to secure employment.
AWARD WINNING
We have, as part of the Sports Pathways to Employment Programme and Triple S, won the Coaching Intervention of the Year at the UK Coaching Awards 2008, the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) Healthy Activities award and were high commended in both the UK wide Regeneration and Renewal and the Sustaining Communities Awards
For more details please contact:
