College and universities play their part – Lord Coe visits York
19 March 2008
York College has hosted a presentation by Sport England Yorkshire to Lord Coe and the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games, outlining the contribution that Further and Higher Education institutes within North Yorkshire are making to the development of Sport and Physical activity in the region.
With over 30,000 students at York College, the University of York and York St John University, students have a vital role to play in helping their local communities to take part in more sport, for example through volunteering as coaches, officials, event organisers and offering support to clubs. The wide range of sports facilities, classes and clubs offered through the college and universities provide students studying in North Yorkshire with a huge choice of sports that they can play, whether for fun or at competitive levels.
Lord Coe had a chance to talk to members of staff at the college and universities, as well as students and members of the Student Unions. He heard from them first-hand about their delivery of sports participation opportunities - on campus and in the local community - that are proving both popular and effective.
Several students outlined their own experiences to Lord Coe, which included volunteering within local clubs, helping to develop and deliver inter-college and inter-university sport and working with disabled people to increase their opportunity to become involved in sport and physical activity. Lord Coe heard how college and university courses provide much-needed skills and experience for students and improve the delivery of Sport and Physical Activity in North Yorkshire. By working with sport, colleges and universities are improving the employability of students after graduation and providing a welcome boost to local sports clubs and businesses.
David Gent, Regional Director of Sport England Yorkshire, said, “I was delighted that Lord Coe and other LOCOG members had this opportunity to see for themselves how colleges and universities in North Yorkshire are already using sport to enhance the quality of their students’ education and skills – and improve the quality of sport delivered in schools, clubs and community events. We are confident that, by using the power of 2012, we can inspire more colleges and universities, and their students, to do more sport and to volunteer in sport. If we can get them involved while they Are students, they have a better chance of staying active later on life.”
North Yorkshire Tagability Rugby Festival
Lord Coe met young players from across the region at York Rugby Club before going on to York College, for a tour of its new facilities which have recently been selected by LOCOG to be included in the 2012 Pre-Games Training Camps Guide,.
At the rugby festival, teams from ten special schools across North Yorkshire (including York) took part in the Tagability Rugby Festival, which is part of a community sports coaching programme supported by North Yorkshire Sport and delivered by the RFU and local partners that aims to develop and increase participation in rugby union and feed players into the club system.
The festival took place between 10am and 2pm and gave children the opportunity to play matches following a series of in-school coaching sessions in February and March. The festival also gave schools the chance to go on to participate in the North Yorkshire Youth Games on Sunday 1 June at Ampleforth College
As part of his visit to the region ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, Lord Coe, chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, watched a match at the festival before meeting young players.
David Watson, executive director of North Yorkshire Sport said: “The project aims to get more young people from special schools in the area involved in the game of rugby and into clubs. The festival gives the children their first chance to play tag rugby in a fun, competitive environment and will hopefully encourage them to carry on playing.
“The programme is proving to be popular within the schools and is one of many inclusive initiatives being developed in partnership with Sport England Yorkshire aimed at encouraging more youngsters to participate in sport and aspire to achieve their full potential. Led by National Governing Bodies, the SportsSpecial School Sports Partnership, North Yorkshire Sport and Active York there is a real drive to improve both participation and attainment levels in our region ahead of the 2012 Paralympic Games. It was an incredible boost to have Lord Coe visit the Tagability Rugby Festival, meet children involved and see the beginnings of the 2012 legacy.”
The afternoon’s agenda comprised a guided tour of York College. Lord Coe visited the world class sporting facilities that helped the College to be selected to appear in the LOCOG 2012 Pre-Games Training Camps Guide.
He went on to visit the basketball, fencing and indoor volleyball areas (the disciplines included in the Guide), as well as the sports science lab, fitness suite and all-weather pitch. Lord Coe also had the chance to talk with student volunteers, sports learners and those involved with the coaching of disabled athletes.
David Gamble, Curriculum Leader for Sport & Leisure at York College said: "We are delighted that Lord Coe and representatives from Sport England and Yorkshire Culture have been able to visit our new college to see for themselves the first-class sporting facilities and meet with our sports students. The fact that York College is listed amongst the training camp facilities for the 2012 Games presents a very exciting opportunity for us."
David Gent, Regional Director of Sport England Yorkshire said: "As 2012 gets nearer, there are more and more opportunities for people to get involved in sport through the region's colleges and universities. Whether you're a local resident wanting to play sport or do a coaching qualification, a would-be volunteer, or of course, a student, you'll find that York College, as well as York Uni and York St John's can help you. Together they are doing a fantastic job of supporting sport in York. I'm so pleased to be able to welcome Lord Coe back to his home region of Yorkshire for the day, to show him the excellent work going on to boost sport ahead of 2012."
Notes on the roles of Colleges & Universities in Yorkshire & Humber
Colleges and universities have a major role to play in helping Yorkshire to seize the opportunities offered by London 2012 through the Yorkshire Gold regional strategy. This is also recognised nationally, which has led to the LSC and HEFCE funding Podium, the FE & HE Unit for the 2012 Games. Their role is also much more wide-ranging than might appear at first glance.
Taking part in Sport
With 595,000 students attending college or university in Yorkshire, and 57,300 staff at these institutions, they offer a unique opportunity to increase the number of people taking part in sport. Sport is on offer via the high quality sports facilities that many colleges and universities now boast, as well as the hundreds of sports clubs run by Athletics/Student Unions, giving students a chance to take part for fun, or at a range of competitive levels. Many colleges and universities also make their facilities available for use by the general public or specific community groups.
Taking part in Society
Students are also a valuable volunteering resource, both within the college/university campus and in their local communities. Hundreds of students volunteer through their Athletics Union clubs in roles ranging from coach to captain to treasurer. Moreover, many of them volunteer to support the delivery of sport in schools and the community, particularly through coaching, officiating and event management. This offers vital support for schools and community sports clubs to offer more opportunities for people to play sport. The students gain valuable skills, experience and qualifications, which gives them a competitive advantage in the job market when they graduate.
Taking part in Business
Many of Yorkshire’s colleges and universities also work closely with employers in the sport sector to offer work placements and experience for their students that provides extra help for sports organisations and companies whilst giving students first-hand experience of sports sector jobs. Again, this is often crucial in helping students to gain experience and make contacts with employers to improve their chances of securing the right job when they leave college or university.
Moreover, placements and volunteering opportunities are not just for “sporty” types or students wanting to work in the sport sector; there are plenty of roles in a sport setting - event management, fundraising, PR & marketing, IT, financial management - that will help students develop transferable skills for use in other business sectors.
Further Links
An audit of Further Education & Higher Education’s (FE/HE) contribution to sport – including participation (from community to elite), volunteering and skills – has been completed. This has provided a substantial evidence base for engaging more proactively with the FE & HE sectors and identified priority areas of work: http://www.sportengland.org/yorkshire_index/yorkshire_get_resources/iyr_yorkshire_sport_and_further_education_and_higher_education.htm
Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games
http://www.yorkshire-culture.co.uk/What_We_Do/yorkshire_committee_2012_games.html
York College website: visit article
http://www.yorkcollege.ac.uk/whats-on/news-170308.html
For more information contact Caroline Gilbert: caroline.gilbert@sportengland.org |
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