After two years of hard work, the Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure project is officially concluded. The outcome has been to review, test and trial the delivery of a fully quality assured education and training programme for current and future instructors and animators in the Active Leisure sector.

The project focused on developing new skills for current and future workers, for improving employability of young people, and supporting entrepreneurship and growth across the sector. The four main objectives of the project were:

  1. To create an evidence base to identify skills gaps in the active leisure sector.
  2. To promote the benefits of the learning experience and gaining of the qualifications for developing wider skills for employability and personal well-being as well as supporting the growth of the community.
  3. The contribution of active leisure to the employability of young people and the creation of jobs in the sport and active leisure-related labour markets.
  4. To develop a Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure.

These goals were achieved through a combination of eleven different intellectual outputs, which combine to form the future Blueprint for the Active Leisure sector. You can find the compendium of all outputs here.

In addition, as part of the project, a study on the trends and future skills needed in the sector (Foresight for the Fitness Sector: Results from a European Delphi Study and Its Relevance in the Time of COVID-19) has been published by members of the project.

The latest meeting of the Blueprint Project took place on online platforms instead of Brussels, as originally planned, due to Covid-19.

The 6th project meeting on 21st of May was an opportunity for all project partners to inform each other about the latest updates on Covid-19 in partner countries and its effects on fitness and outdoor sectors. Then the ambitious set of 12 intellectual outputs of the projects, which are almost completed, were discussed. Finally the possibility of organizing the last meeting of the project in person in Brussels was assessed.

The Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure is a 3-year European project focusing on developing new skills for current and future fitness and outdoors workers, for improving employability of young people, and supporting entrepreneurship and growth across the sector, through a fruitful partnership of expertise.

Skills foresight, review of qualifications in use, and the development of international qualifications are only three of a range of activities undertaken by Blueprint’s project consortium. The Erasmus+ funded project is in its second year and up to full speed. Seven organisations supported by two external experts gathered in Leeds, UK to present and discuss first results of ongoing research and surveys. Fellow ENSE member, the International Council on Coaching Excellence, hosted the meeting on March 12-13, 2019 and provided the participants with a stunning meeting location in the Emerald Headingley Stadium.

Launched in 2018, the Blueprint project is a three-year project and aims at developing a sector skills strategy for the Active Leisure sector, which combines the fitness and outdoor sectors. During the first phase of the project, the consortium aims at creating the evidence base to identify skills gaps followed by a carefully designed plan and implementation of activities. Ultimately, this will allow to deliver improved, increasingly relevant qualifications that are recognized on a European-wide basis.

The partners will meet again in June 2019 in Brussels for a Technical Expert Group meeting, and a full partner meeting will take place in September 2019. In the meantime, you can find out more on the official project website or by following ENSE on Facebook.

On the week of September 10th, ENSE was proud to host the third meeting of EuropeActive's Blueprint for Active Leisure project at the German Sports University in Cologne.

The project focuses on developing new skills for current and future workers, improving employability of young people, and supporting entrepreneurship and growth across the sector.

Concretely, that means mapping out the current qualifications in the Active Leisure sector, identifying the skill gaps in the existing market, developing certification pathways, and working with various industry stakeholders. A total of eight partner organisations - including fellow ENSE member the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) - are therefore working on a range of studies and consultations to generate knowledge and buy-in for the project. As such, the third meeting the third meeting this year was focused on the individual activities of the partners, including a review of qualifications, skills foresight, the establishment of a certifying body, and the use of Active Leisure to promote youth employability. Ultimately, these activities combine to deliver improved, increasingly relevant qualifications that are recognized on a European-wide basis.

The Blueprint project started in January 2018 and is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. It continues the work started with the SIQAF project (2016-2018). Both projects have the goal to support the sector and increase employment through skills development and recognition.

First results of studies and project activities are expected early summer 2019, while the next project meeting is schedule for March 2019 and will be hosted by ICCE in Leeds.

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