Fit for the Future: Leisure Careers

Leap, More Leisure Community Trust, and Buckinghamshire Skills Hub have come together to create Fit for the Future: Leisure Careers, a work experience programme designed to showcase the leisure sector and the wide variety of jobs and opportunities within it.

Throughout the week, pupils aren’t just observing what happens inside a leisure centre, they experience first-hand the blend of physical activity, health promotion, customer service, community support, and leadership that define modern leisure careers.

Leisure careers: Young person in pool on a foam board with thumbs up

A New Era of Leisure Careers

Today’s leisure professionals do far more than supervise sports halls or staff reception desks. They are community champions, wellbeing advocates, and skilled operators who support people of all ages and backgrounds.

Through our collaborative programme, we help students explore this dynamic sector in a structured, supportive environment. The programme is intentionally designed to introduce them to:

  • Real workplace experience
  • Diverse career pathways
  • Practical qualifications
  • Essential employability skills
  • Inclusive and community-focused practice

Throughout the week, students take part in a blend of structured training, shadowing, and active workshops. The timetable includes:

  • First Aid training, leading to a recognised qualification
  • Leadership and teamwork workshops, including team building and fitness planning
  • Inclusive activity design, where students co-create activities for diverse needs
  • Employment skills development, from CV writing to interview practice
  • Active Medicine and Mental Fitness, exploring health beyond physical activity
  • Active Bystander Awareness, promoting safe, responsible behaviour
  • Shadowing across real departments such as reception, the gym, and leisure assistant roles

Young people sat in a classroom setting, looking at a screen whilst an adult is presenting

Learning from Real Professionals

A highlight for many participants is working directly with the professionals who keep Stoke Mandeville Stadium running every day. Our hosts share not just their roles, but their passions:

  • Charlotte Thornton White – ensuring programmes are inclusive, community-driven, and accessible
  • Caroline Cooper – supporting young people to build strong foundations for future career decisions
  • Anya Forbes-Phyall – leading the work experience programme and championing opportunities in sport and physical activity

By spending time in different departments, students gain a realistic understanding of how leisure centres operate and what skills employers are truly looking for.

Skills That Employers Want (and Young People Need)

The leisure sector needs people who are:

  • Personable
  • Service-focused
  • Adaptable
  • Committed to wellbeing
  • Skilled in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving

Every task, from supporting an inclusive sports session to greeting customers at reception, is intentionally chosen to develop these competencies.

These aren’t just “leisure skills.” They are life skills, transferable to any future job, apprenticeship, or course.

Creating a Safe, Supportive Environment

Safeguarding and student welfare underpin every aspect of the programme. All staff are DBS checked, fully briefed, and trained to support young people in a supervised environment. Students and parents receive clear guidance on expectations, attire, safety procedures, and communication.

When students feel safe and supported, they thrive and we see this every time.

Why Leisure Careers are Fit for the Future

The jobs emerging within the leisure sector align closely with the future of health and wellbeing, including:

  • Preventative health and Active Medicine
  • Community engagement
  • Inclusive activity design
  • Mental health support
  • Youth leadership
  • Accessible sports delivery
  • Facility and customer experience roles

Three young people participating in wheelchair sport activities, posing with thumbs up

These careers matter not only because they support healthier communities, but because they offer young people meaningful, purpose led work. For students who enjoy being active, helping others, or working face to face with the public, the leisure sector is full of possibility.

Inspiring the Next Generation

As we deliver this programme, one thing is clear: young people often enter our centres tentative, curious, and unsure, but they leave with confidence and capability.

This is why initiatives like Fit for the Future: Leisure Careers are so important. They don’t just prepare young people for work; they prepare them for life.

 

What the young people say:“Wheelchair skills, volleyball and water polo were amazing!” “I learnt how to communicate and be an active bystander.” “The staff were fun to work with, Drew and Phill especially.”

What the young people say: “Wheelchair skills, volleyball and water polo were amazing!” “I learnt how to communicate and be an active bystander.” “The staff were fun to work with, Drew and Phill especially.”