North-east youngsters are being given the chance to dive into a career in sport with a new initiative which funds vocational qualifications to help young people to secure employment.
The initiative, launched by Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), offers young people in S5 and S6, or those who are unemployed and looking for a career, the chance to take part in industry standard training at the facility’s Aquatics Centre.
The programme has a choice of five industry-standard training courses and are all free of charge to successful applicants.
The initiative, created by Aberdeen Sports Village and supported by Active Aberdeen Partnership and Aberdeen Harbour Board, has three training pathways to train youngsters to become a qualified lifeguard or aquatics instructor, or the combined course gives the added benefit of qualifying in both.
Some participants who successfully complete the qualifications may also be given the opportunity to secure a job at Aberdeen Sports Village Aquatics Centre as a lifeguard and/or a swimming teacher.
Rebecca Ripley, sports development executive at ASV said: “This is a great opportunity for young people who are unsure about their career path, or people who are unemployed in the local area – offering a pathway into employment. They will have the opportunity to train alongside the experts at ASV and experience the world-class-facility. There are limited spaces for this programme and candidates will need to be competent swimmers, with applications being submitted by November 2, 2018.”
ASV, chief executive officer, Duncan Sinclair, said: ‘It’s imperative for our industry to attract new talent and give youngsters the chance to try something new. Working within the sports and leisure industry is very rewarding, passing on your skills and knowledge, while making a difference to the development of children and adults. Career paths into our sector are not always highlighted to secondary school children trying to decide on their future employment. With the funding being provided by Aberdeen Sports Village, Active Aberdeen Partnership and Aberdeen Harbour Board, this is a fantastic programme for youngsters to become industry trained in the sector and gain employment.
“Additionally, we believe it is crucial that youngsters can swim and be able to perform lifesaving skills in today’s society, and we are delighted to offer free swimming lessons and lifesaving lessons to P6 and P7 children from across Aberdeen, from March 2019. This is an ideal opportunity for children to learn new skills, while being physically active, improving mood, confidence and motivation.”
Since launching in 2009, ASV has always been focused on giving the city’s communities access to first-class sports facilities, from children’s activities and teenage gym, to popular Evergreens programme which encourages over 60’s to live an active and healthy lifestyle.
ASV is the top sporting and exercise venue in the country, with a state-of-the-art gym, more than 100 group exercise classes, an eight-lane 400m track, a six-lane indoor running straight, squash courts and sports studios. The world class Aquatics Centre offers access to an Olympic standard 50m pool, 25m pool and full diving facilities, including springboard and platforms up to 10m and two health and relaxation suites.
For more information on the application process please visit:
www.aberdeensportsvillage.com/news-events-lower/news/358-asv-aquatics-academy
To apply for free swimming places please contact Rebecca Ripley by email: rebecca.r@aberdeensportsvillage.com
