UKSA provide free training and employment for jobless young people

UKSA will now be able to offer 50 young people the opportunity to take part in a free training and employment programme for work in the leisure industry. Having secured funding from The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure through the Government’s ‘Future Jobs Fund,’ a group of 18-24 year olds who have been unemployed for more than six months will now be able to retrain for employment in the growing leisure industry.

Participants will undertake a fully-funded six month programme of training and work experience, providing each of them with valuable skills and qualifications. Upon joining the scheme trainees will first follow an intensive watersports instructor training programme at UKSA, living and learning at the organisation’s headquarters in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Following their initial training, participants will then undertake a work placement in the leisure industry to gain invaluable employment experience. 

Simon Davies, Director of Youth Development at UKSA, explained: “The new programme is designed to increase the participant’s confidence, self esteem and motivation. As well as gaining valuable watersports instructor qualifications, the programme will give the young people taking part the opportunity to explore and gain a whole host of social and business skills.”

Simon continued: ‘By taking part in the scheme, participants will gain the qualifications to teach beginner’s dinghy sailing and kayaking as well as an NVQ Certificate in Outdoor Leadership. These qualifications have already resulted in very successful employment for participants following a similar programme run through the Princes’ Trust. We are very excited to have been given the opportunity to inspire young people who have found themselves in a position of long-term unemployment.” 

Future Jobs Fund is a Government fund of around £1 billion provided to support the creation of jobs for long term unemployed young people, as well as others who face significant disadvantage in the labour market.  The fund is continuing to seek to attract bids in order to create 150,000 new jobs for people across the UK.

 To gain access to the programme, participants will need to be referred to UKSA through job centre plus. No previous watersports experience is required.