Sports Leaders UK smashes record for the second year

Sports Leaders UK, the charity that changes lives, has achieved a record breaking result of 202,413 registered candidates, topping last year’s record by more than 1,000. This latest figure is a fantastic achievement for the organisation, putting it well on target to complete training for a further one million Sports Leaders in the run up to London 2012. Sports Leaders UK delivers its awards and qualifications to more than 200,000 people a year, through 4,000 schools, colleges, local authorities, prisons and young offender units. It acts as an Awarding Body providing nationally recognised qualifications, and has recently created a Foundation to deliver free or subsidised courses in areas of greatest need. Take-up of Sports Leaders UK awards and qualifications has grown rapidly since 2007, when the charity recorded its first one million registered candidates during its 25th anniversary year. The second million is forecast for the years leading up to London 2012. Sports Leaders UK will see some exciting developments in the coming year. The charity recently announced its new partnership with Change4Life, the nationwide movement which aims to help people make changes to their lifestyles so they can eat well, move more and live longer. Sports Leaders UK will move all its qualifications onto the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) this year, which will replace the current National Qualifications Framework. Sports Leaders UK will also introduce its new Teaching Values Through Leadership resource during 2010, which has been recognised as part of the London 2012 inspire programme and will enable candidates to feel part of the spirit of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Linda Plowright, Chief Executive, Sports Leaders UK said: “These latest figures verify the importance and relevance of Sports Leaders UK’s awards and qualifications in today’s tough world of education and employment. “Sports Leaders UK’s courses add a practical qualification to exam passes and demonstrate to potential employers that a young person has proven skills in leadership, organisation and communication; it gives them a vital edge in employability. “The wide variety of awards and qualifications available from Sports Leaders UK make a real contribution to the successful future of thousands of young people, providing them with practical, challenging routes to qualifications and personal development.”