The WRU is searching for 12 new rugby development apprentices following a successful first year of its WRU Coach Core programme, with two posts created with Ospreys in the Community
The WRU Coach Core Apprenticeship, which was launched by The Duke of Cambridge last autumn, has already enabled an initial cohort of young people to gain accredited apprenticeship qualifications along with practical, on-the-job skills over the past 10 months and many of them have already secured employment or places in higher education following their completion of the apprenticeship in September
The WRU is now looking to recruit 12 new apprentices for next season’s programme, which will be extended into the Ospreys region, along with the Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons rugby areas. The new apprentices will work with and be supported by WRU Rugby Coordinators and School Club Hub Officers and mentored in their development by the WRU Coach Core Link Officer.
The candidates must be aged between 18 and 24, enthusiastic about working with young people within their community and passionate about sport. The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will continue to support the programme, and the Level 3 NVQ Certificate and Diploma in Sports Development, the first of its kind to be delivered in Wales, is delivered by learning provider NPTC Group of Colleges and funded by the Welsh Government.
WRU Coach Core manager Carl Scales said: “The apprentices have made huge progress since the programme was launched in October. They’ve gained valuable coaching and rugby development skills, but their personal development has also been hugely significant, from communication and confidence to employability. Many of them would admit they didn’t really know what they wanted to do beforehand, but they now have real direction in their lives.”
Paul Whapham, Foundation Manager, Ospreys in the Community, said:
“Our existing partnerships with both NPTC Group and the WRU has enabled us to create a great opportunity for young people to not only increase their qualifications but to also gain a year of work experience, which is invaluable to their CV, improving their long-term employability.
“These roles will allow Ospreys in the Community to continue expanding and increasing its community delivery across Ospreylia, in particular in the areas of education and sport.”
Owen Young has been appointed as a rugby officer at Ysgol Garth Olwg, starting in September. He spent time at Mountain Ash Comprehensive during the past school year. He said: “The WRU apprenticeship has certainly given me the experience and qualification I needed to enable me to gain this role.
“The programme opens many doors, not purely within the world of rugby, you could go down any sporting route after completing the year. It hasn’t been all plain sailing – but that was made very clear to us from the start – it’s not just rugby coaching which is what I was used to. I didn’t do very well in school, but the support we’ve been given has helped me achieve an important qualification which was vital in gaining employment.
“My biggest achievement during the year was establishing girls rugby at Mountain Ash comp. Until then there hadn’t been any girls’ teams at the school, but there was clearly an appetite and my fellow apprentice Cameron Douglas and I, with the help of Anthony Palmer, our apprentice link officer, worked hard to set up touch teams and festivals and now there are girls’ teams in every year group.”
Scales added, “We would encourage any young person who thinks a rugby apprenticeship may be for them, to apply, come along to the assessment day and give it a go. There is so much to gain for the benefit of themselves and Welsh rugby, they will achieve things they didn’t think possible and feel so proud of themselves.”
CLICK HERE for full job description and to apply.
The Apprenticeship programme delivered by NPTC Group of Colleges and led by the Welsh Government, is supported by the European Social Fund.
Coach Core
Coach Core aspires to make young people more employable and create a future generation of first class sports coaches who will be role models for other young people in their communities. Coach Core provides opportunities for young people who are not in higher education, employment or training and provides high quality vocational training required by employers. Coach Core aims to inspire young people through sport.
www.wearecoachcore.com
The Royal Foundation
The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry is the Patrons’ primary charitable vehicle, and hopes to become a leading philanthropic investor, effectively using its time and resources to create lasting change in targeted areas and geographies, based on need and on the interests of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The Foundation will seek to invest in, or partner with, organisations with proven impact, using its profile and leverage to create a multiplier effect in resources, outcomes and knowledge.
The Royal Foundation currently has three areas of focus; young people, the Armed Forces, and conservation.
www.royalfoundation.com
The Apprenticeship programme delivered by NPTC of Colleges and led by the Welsh Government, is supported by the European Social Fund