Game On! New jobs to open up for young people

The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure has announced the creation of almost 3,000 new employment opportunities for young, long-term unemployed people in the sport and active leisure sector.

The employer-led organisation which delivers training solutions to the industry recently launched a successful re-bid to tap into the Government's Future Jobs Fund, following its successful bid for jobs in October last year to create 2500 new jobs. This is in response to recent unemployment figures which show you are almost three times more likely to be unemployed if you between 18-24.

The new jobs - that will commence from May - are open to long-term unemployed young people and will guarantee training and employment for six months. The National Skills Academy has worked with employers to ensure that most of these jobs will lead to long-term careers in the sector.

For employers, the cost of training new employees in the first few months before they contribute to the business can be prohibitive. The Future Jobs Fund allows employers to pay for the development of employees in the first crucial months and removes barriers to recruitment. As a result, local communities will benefit from the delivery of these roles and the employers involved will be able to grow their businesses.

Says Florence Orban, CEO of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure: "Our aim is to revolutionise our industry by staffing it with the best people with the best skills and training. There is a huge, untapped talent pool of young, enthusiastic people who just need a chance - a foot in the door - and that is exactly what they will get with the programme. The successful candidates will be those who want to learn and want to make a real contribution to their employer, industry and community".

Says Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport: "It's a tough job market out there for young people but the Future Jobs Fund is helping to place thousands in the vibrant sport and leisure sector. It's fantastic that the National Skills Academy has been successful with its latest bid to the fund. We want to create a world class sport system in this country in the run up to hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and this will give many young people the chance to be a part of that."

Some of the employers who will be offering jobs through the Future Jobs Fund include Premier Sport, Fit for Sport, The Amateur Swimming Association and Transforming A Generation (TAG).

Partners who have supported the National Skills Academy's bid include:

SkillsActive, Sport England, sports coach UK, Sports Leaders UK and a large number of community sports organisations. 

To find out about the Future Jobs Fund roles available through the National Skills Academy, please visit:  www.JobsGameOn.co.uk