Employers show their support for the Diploma
John Vincent owns a gym in Norfolk that specialises in health and fitness facilities. The centre handles GP referrals, offers personal training services and caters for members aged from 11 to 85. The gym offers work placements to YAs on the sport management, leadership and coaching programme. John is also the head of the sport science department at the City College in Norwich and has been involved in the development of the new Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure. Below, John explains why he believes wholeheartedly in the new Diploma and why work-based learning provides him with the best calibre of employees.
What do you believe are the core differences between the YA and the new diploma?
The new Diploma has a completely different structure to any qualification that exists currently. There’s a big emphasis on functional skills – maths, English and ICT; all are contextualised to working in the sport and leisure industry, a unique component of the qualification. For instance, maths skills can be applied practically to body fat testing and time spent on the treadmill, so that ultimately everything the student does is related to the employer. Employers can be confident that students have the right experience across the board from customer service to coaching, gym inductions and basic fitness tests. Currently, the Young Apprenticeship is taught around GCSEs which can sometimes be difficult to accommodate. However, I view both as being excellent routes to further education.
As an employer, what do you believe are the key merits of work-based learning qualifications such as the Diploma and Young Apprenticeship?
I tend to find that the YAs who’ve learnt practical theory in class and who have then applied it in a work setting know how to conduct themselves. They’ve been taught skills which are then easily applied to the work place and understand the general terminology needed to be able to start straightaway. I’ve found in the past that A level PE students don’t have practical gym environment skills. Diploma learners will have that in-depth knowledge applied to workplace environments and as an employer that’s second to none. More vocational courses consist of a lot of training and many people with academic qualifications just don’t have the functional skills required
Can you briefly describe what you believe are the strongest elements of the new Diploma?
All the functional skills studied in-line with the Diploma are interlinked. From an employer’s point of view, being able to fill out membership forms, working the till, having good numeracy skills and filling in paperwork are all vital prerequisites of an entry level candidate. All the subject areas are up to date and contemporary with references to modern industry practice.
Will you be offering work placements for students on the new diploma and how do you envisage the new Diploma integrating into your business?
Yes, definitely. Five of my current staff all did work experience as part of their qualification here and went onto work for me once their course had finished. I would prefer to employ gym instructors who I know have the right qualifications and work-ready skills.
