RETRAIN TO RETAIN… MAKING A DIFFERENCE

ReTrain to ReTain is a £5m job retention and support package funded by Sport England through the National Lottery and delivered by CIMSPA alongside a consortium of partners including UK Coaching and EMD UK.

Launched in November 2021 to support the smooth reopening of the sector following the Covid-19 pandemic, the programme was designed to support up to 25,000 sports and fitness coaches who had to find work outside the sector during the pandemic, prioritising those living and working in areas of economic deprivation or supporting underrepresented groups.

In response to the recruitment and retention crisis, which hit the sector after the pandemic, the ReTrain to ReTain programme evolved to help with the industry’s skills shortages and recruitment challenges. The scheme now works to support everyone working or volunteering in sport and physical activity in England, helping to upskill/reskill the existing workforce and attract new people to the sector.

The scheme offers a wide range of funded programmes and learning resources from CIMSPA, UK Coaching and EMD, with additional resources available for specific job roles and people living and working in low socioeconomic group areas.

A progress report, launched in January 2023, highlighted the impact of the scheme to date. It found that as of 20 December 2022, the programme had supported 34,142 individuals (paid and volunteers) and employees. Of these, 11,545 are paid individuals and employees.

The support package has funded 804 qualifications and 378 CPD courses. The three most popular qualifications were Level 3 Swim Coordinator, Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing and Level 3 Diploma in GP Exercise Referral. The top 10 funded CPD course subjects were cancer and exercise rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation followed by management and leadership.

To help create a sector where workforce behaviour creates a positive experience for customers, extra support is given to individuals and employers who need it most with fully funded qualifications/continuous professional development courses.

As of 20 December 2022, the programme had supported 2,715 individuals and employees in areas of economic deprivation. Of these, 681 individuals have received funding to complete a qualification with 92% of learners living in an area of economic deprivation and 62% living in some of England’s most deprived areas.

In addition, 72 employers across 187 sites have been supported with