The Splash Academy has been allocated funding through ReTrain, a £1.5m training initiative designed to retool the sport and physical activity workforce.
The Splash Academy has recently been allocated ReTrain funding to allow them to continue providing valuable services to their local community, with a particular focus on the development of young children. Based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, the facility is now able to re-open their doors two more days a week with two trained staff managing their teaching lessons. They’re prepared to tackle the challenges that will come after the national lockdown.
"Without it, many employers and training providers would find it difficult to re-open after lockdown."
With a recent CIMSPA survey indicating that up to 6% of the activity workforce (30,000 people) are planning to leave the sector, ReTrain is supporting employers by providing free training for new and existing staff, to enable them to work in new areas.
“We had been restricted with delivering additional days of teaching and operating the venue due to not having the trained team in place,” said Nayna Patel, Senior Teacher at The Splash Academy.
“The funding from CIMSPA has transformed our timetable and allowed us to recruit the correct staff to help us grow as a team and increase our provision. We are proud to be in a position to give opportunities to people that will benefit from new training which will then bring new skills into our sector.”
All training provided through ReTrain will be delivered by accredited CIMSPA Training Provider Partners and Higher Education Partners, and will result in CIMSPA endorsed qualifications and/or CPD points for the individual. Employer partners of CIMSPA, CLUK and ukactive, with sites in England, are invited to identify the skills gaps within your workforce and apply for the free training.
“ReTrain is designed to retool the sport and physical activity workforce, and is funded by The National Lottery through Sport England,” said Leon Smith, ReTrain Course Coordinator at CIMSPA.
“Without it, many employers and training providers would find it difficult to re-open after lockdown. It's highly rewarding to see how ReTrain funding is benefitting employers, like The Splash Academy, and we are continuing to work with employers, providing them with support through the ReTrain initiative.”
The initial priorities for ReTrain funding have been:
Qualifications that are endorsed against the sector’s professional standards
Sites based in areas of socio-economic deprivation
Source - CIMSPA