Hampshire Pioneers Leisure Management Training

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Portsmouth training provider Catch22 South East Training has enrolled the first learners in the UK to start a new advanced apprenticeship qualification in leisure management.

Portsmouth, UK, 3rd March 2009 (PressReleasePoint) - Duty managers and supervisors at three Hampshire leisure centres are the first learners in the UK to start an advanced apprenticeship awarded by national health and fitness body CYQ.

The group - employed at Havant and Waterlooville leisure centres and Romsey Rapids - will spend the next 18 months developing their workplace skills in team leadership, customer service and resource management.

Their national vocational qualification is specifically aimed at managers working in health and fitness and is being provided locally by Portsmouth training provider Catch22 South East Training.

Adrianne Banham, 23, a supervisor at the Waterlooville centre for the past five years, said: “This is a great qualification to have on the CV. You have to take this kind of qualification when it comes your way.”

Ms Banham is joined on the training by Havant and Waterlooville colleagues Stephen Madden, Matt Evans, Becky Thomas, Luke Robinson, Gareth Jones and Rachael Mills.

Also training is Sassi Page, 23, who lives in Park Gate and started as a fitness instructor at Romsey Rapids two years ago. She said: “I like to have as many strings to my bow as I can. I love working in the leisure industry and have a passion for fitness and it is great to have that recognised by working towards this qualification.”

Catch22 South East Training is the first training provider in the UK to offer the CYQ course which is a Level 3 NVQ in leisure management and equivalent to A-level study.

Anthea Fry, Sport and Recreation Learning and Employment Co-ordinator of Catch22 South East Training, said: “An apprenticeship is an excellent way to learn the skills needed to enjoy better career progression and we are delighted to be the first provider in the UK to offer this leisure management qualification awarded by CYQ.”

The centres in Havant and Waterlooville are run by the Horizon Leisure Trust. Marie Wilkinson, manager at Waterlooville, said: “These learners have an apprenticeship that will give them a better understanding of the business while developing work-related knowledge and skills. They will gain a qualification at the same time as being in a real work situation. We have a long relationship with Catch22 South East Training who we have found to be a very professional organisation with flexible training options that suit our business needs.”

Sarah Edmonds, CYQ Southern Region Verifier, said: “Catch22 South East Training have proved themselves to be a first rate training provider and I am thrilled they are the first of our approved centres to offer this apprenticeship. Employers have been crying out for this kind of qualification as it officially recognises the skills, abilities and hard work that is put into the leisure industry.”

Catch22 South East Training is the Portsmouth-based training division of a national charity.