On May 24th, ENSE joined the Expert Group meeting of the Blueprint project led by EuropeActive, which aims at improving the skills and qualifications in the Active Leisure sector - a sector which includes fitness and outdoor activities.
The project, fully known as Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure, 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 and identifying the skill gaps in the existing market. Then, using that information, developing improved, increasingly relevant qualifications that are recognized on a European-wide basis.
As part of the recent meeting, experts from all project partners came together to concretely map out the work ahead and to form the basis for the various activities in the project. Some of these activities include the planning of a research on current active leisure qualifications, skills foresight, the setting-up of an awarding organisation and a procedure for recognition of individual achievement through a professional card system among others. The results of the individual and group work will be shared and discussed during the next full partner meeting in September at the German Sports University, which will be hosted by ENSE.
In total, the 3-year project features 5 other partners from across the continent, including the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) - also an ENSE network member - the European Confederation of Outdoor Employers (EC-OE), the Fundacion Espana Activa, Sport Ireland, and the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport.
On the 21st and 22nd of February the University of Bath hosted the first meeting of the European Commission Expert Group on Skills and Human Resources Development in Sport. ENSE was represented at the meeting by our Project Manager, Louis Moustakas.
For the inaugural meeting, skills and human resources in sport were discussed through many lenses, including dual careers, coaching, and qualifications.
To launch the first day of the meeting in Bath, the Commission held a presentation on the recent developments in sport policy and in the area of sport and education and also presented the outcomes of previous Expert Groups.
The first day later focused on coaching in Europe, with Kairis Ulp, the former Chair of the Council Working Party on Sport from the Estonian Presidency, presenting the Presidency’s achievements with a focus on the on the role of coaches in society. Afterwards, Sergio Lara-Bercial, from ENSE member International Council for Coaching Excellence, described the current coach education system in Europe and its challenges.
To conclude the first day, the group conducted a a site visit of the sport facilities at the University of Bath and heard a presentation on Dual Careers in the UK from Guy Taylor of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).
The second day delved into specific projects, including presentations by EuropeActive on the SIQAF and Blupeprint projects, the latter of which ENSE is a part of project consortium. Similarly, the European Obersvatoire of Sport Employment presented their European Sector Skills Alliance for Sport and Physical Activity Project and the Hungarian School Sport Federation presented the SHAPE Project, the goal of which is to compare physical education systems in various Member States.
Moving forward, the Group will put together guidelines on the state of coaching and coach education in different countries and exchange best practices in other areas, especially as it relates to Dual Careers. A second meeting is planned for summer 2018.
On February 6th and 7th, ENSE joined the kick-off of the Blueprint project led by EuropeActive, which aims at improving the skills and qualifications in the Active Leisure sector - a sector which, broadly speaking, includes fitness and outdoor activities.
The project, fully known as Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure, focuses on developing new skills for current and future workers, for 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 and identifying the skill gaps in the existing market. Then, using that information, developing improved, increasingly relevant Active Leisure qualifications that are recognized on a European-wide basis.
The project will last a total of 3 years. Throughout that period, ENSE will take the lead on the research and mapping of the current environment of Active Leisure Qualifications in Europe.
In total, the project features 5 other partners from across the continent, including the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) - also an ENSE network member - the European Confederation of Outdoor Employers (EC-OE), the Fundacion Espana Activa, Sport Ireland, and the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport.
Photo by Hamza Butt via Flickrcommons
The active leisure sector, including the fitness and outdoor sectors, has intensively worked on its own skills agenda in recent years. It recognises the importance of the need for an implementation plan based on the policy recommendations of the Expert Group on Human Resources Development and EU New Skills Agenda. Accordingly the Blueprint for Skills Cooperation and Employment in Active Leisure project focuses on developing new skills for current and future workers, improving employability of young people, and supporting entrepreneurship and growth across the sector.
The project brings together leading actors from the sector in a formidable partnership of expertise to implement the project, which includes the priorities of:
Starting in January 2018, the project will especially reflect on the changing roles of fitness and outdoor workers in developing skills to meet new digital technologies, promoting health-enhancing physical activity (sometimes with other healthcare professionals), and working with special population groups.
EuropeActive is the coordinator of the project, while ENSE joins a group of five other partners, including the European Confederation of Outdoor Employers, Spain Active, the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, the International Council on Coaching Excellence and Sport Ireland