At The Harlequins Foundation, we passionately believe in the principle that everyone should have the opportunity to build the essential skills, experience, and aspirations to succeed in the 21st century. That is why, in December 2020, working in partnership with Coach Core we committed to hiring two apprentice sports coaches.
Research shows that young people have been particularly hard hit by the continued disruption caused by Covid-19. Last year in the wake of the ‘first wave’ youth unemployment had risen by 13.1% and one in every three first-time universal credit applicants was under the age of 25.
So, as part of our ambition to positively impact the lives of one million people by 2030 and our commitment to creating a skills pathway from work experience through to employment we undertook to support the development of two young and ambitious coaches.
Through our relationship with Coach Core, they will be part of an inclusive and impactful apprenticeship, that develops their talents as they work towards their Level Two Community Activator Coaching qualification and Level Two Certificate in Coaching Multi-skills Development in Sport.
Throughout all of which they will be supported by The Foundation’s team of highly skilled and passionate coaches who will guide them through the early stages of their coaching careers and further support them to identify, develop, demonstrate and articulate the essential skills required to succeed.
Devon Fields-Armstrong, one of our new apprentices, said: “I am really looking forward to being able to learn a whole heap of new skills and gain knowledge from the team at The Harlequins Foundation.
“I am very pleased to be working with colleagues that are so knowledgeable and experienced, and I hope that this apprenticeship helps me to become a better coach and better person.”
Andy Carpenter, Foundation Manager, said: “Apprenticeships are not only a fantastic opportunity for young people to gain experience in the world of work and put their skills into practice but present a great opportunity for us as an employer to support and nurture talent, developing our own workforce for the future.
“We’re delighted to have Kulbir and Devon joining our team and look forward to seeing them progress over the course of their apprenticeship.”