The workforce agenda is back on track, says Huw Edwards, public affairs director at ukactive

Since taking over as ukactive’s public affairs director earlier this year, it’s been clear that one item more than any other is top of the operator agenda: skills.

The uncertainty that has shrouded workforce development has inhibited growth and led to a decline in trust in our sector, both internally and externally, which is why it has been priority number one for ukactive to support CIMSPA, the sector’s chartered institute, in setting this right and building a new skills pathway that the industry can get behind.

 The future of the workforce is such a fundamental issue with repercussions for every part of the sector – not least the people who are employed, trained and developed under our watch. It’s crucial we get it right. And with the government’s ongoing commitment to achieve 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020, as well as macro changes in skills and workforce across our economy – the threats and opportunities created by automation, flexible working and technological developments – this is the time to be getting ahead of the game rather than simply catching up.

Slow but sure
The DCMS strategy, launched just before Christmas, made it clear that there had to be a change in how skills and workforce regulation was looked after, not just in the sector but across sport, leisure and physical activity for health.

But although this was undoubtedly a big step in the process, the actual mechanics of delivering the workforce development programme fell to employers, training providers and the sector itself.

We’re now well on the way to delivering on that goal. CIMSPA has set out a comprehensive programme of reform that will put the trust back into the skills system. Many readers will be aware that this process has been ongoing for some time, but in this field patience is a virtue, and the sector will reap the rewards of getting this right.

It’s a complex area of policy with so many stakeholders to balance – which is why there has been no easy fix – but the work has been done behind the scenes to make sure the roll-out of an updated system can be smooth and effective. 

Employer engagement
Engaging operators and employers in this process is central to this plan. They are key, not only for embedding the new skills pathway and integrating the processes into their business, but in shaping how, why and when the new structure will be implemented, and on what timescale.

That’s why ukactive has embarked on a series of employer engagements, led by CIMSPA, with the aim of taking the details of the CIMSPA plan to present and discuss with employers in the sector. Over the next couple of months, ukactive will be reaching out to employers to gather feedback and develop a full picture of how we move from theory to practical implementation of the skills and workforce agenda.

It will undoubtedly take a sector-wide effort to bring all these changes on-board, but these changes are necessary and will act to support the industry over the coming years.

There can be no denying that the sector is crying out for movement on this, and I can safely say that change is just around the corner.