The Outdoors covers a range of leisure and learning activities undertaken within the natural environment.  Broadly these activities can be categorised into five sub-sectors:

• Outdoor Education
  Experiential, environmental, physical and social education;
• Outdoor Recreation
  Organised and self-guided outdoor activities for 'fun';
• Outdoor Development Training
  Leadership, team and management development;
• Outdoor Sport Development
  Competitive performance, instructor and skill development
• Expeditions and Exploration
  Planning and delivery of local, national and international expeditions and research

There are many overlaps between the above and it is unusual for organisations to neatly fall into any one category.  This is a massively varied sector with private, public, charitable/not for profit and voluntary operations and an equally varied customer base.  Employers are mostly small organisations with around 90% of them being micro-businesses with less than 15 employees.  This, together with a high reliance on younger, seasonal employees and volunteers creates unique issues for workforce development.  

The NSA offers employers in the Outdoors sector a valued service through providing lower cost training and greatly improved access to needed qualifications and skills for their employees. Employers also benefit from access to a wide range of valuable resources aimed at improving the management and performance of their businesses. For employees, the NSA provides access to approved training to help them develop their skills and career progression. 

The Outdoors plays an important part in delivering Government policies.  Concern over the state of the UK population's health is focusing attention on those industries that are placed to promote both health and well-being through participation in healthy activity.  The Outdoors sector is one of growth; it has time and again outperformed the rest of the economy from 1999 to date.  Growth is currently estimated at 3.8% for the sector, against 2.8% for the whole economy.  Future growth can only be sustained if suitably qualified and skilled staff are available to support it.