The sport and leisure industry has grown significantly in the last decade. The expansion of the health and fitness sector, the increasing professionalisation of National Governing Bodies and growing investment in the public sector by both local authorities and commercial organisations have led to an increase in employment opportunities within this industry.
Alongside this, the work of the Institute of Sport and Leisure Management, The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, The Fitness Industry Association and Sport England, have led to an increase in expectations of the level of qualification and training of those employed within the industry. As a consequence of these efforts, and a perception that sport and leisure is a ‘fun’ industry to work in, the numbers of students studying towards sport and/or leisure management qualifications has risen significantly and over 1000 higher education courses currently have ‘sport’ and/or ‘leisure’ in the title.
Institutions offering such courses have a responsibility to ensure that their graduates have appropriate exposure to the disciplines required to manage sport and leisure organisations successfully. Not only are the usual management skills required, but also candidates for jobs will need to demonstrate skills in the areas of performance management, service design, management of customer expectations and communication with stakeholders. Perhaps more importantly, graduates must be able to apply these skills directly to the sport and leisure industry and demonstrate an understanding of the vagaries and complexities of the industry.
Outdoor Leisure Management Course Devon: http://www.bicton.ac.uk/courses/
Devon Apprenticeship Courses: http://www.bicton.ac.uk/
