As part of the UKSPF – People and Skills funding, Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation and Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin have been successful in an application to engage with 250 socially inactive individuals across Shropshire.
Partners within the collaborative efforts formed as the Shropshire Sports Collective (SSC) are Brighstar Boxing, Shropshire Cricket Board and Embrace who will be pivotal in the success of the project.
The Shropshire Sports Collective project aims to harness the power of sport to engage individuals who are currently inactive in the labour market and residing in diverse communities across Shropshire. All partners recognise the potential of sport and physical activity as a dynamic platform that can inspire, motivate, and empower individuals to develop essential skills, unlock their potential, and pursue meaningful employment opportunities.
By utilising sport and physical activity as a catalyst, the SSC will create tailored programmes that address the specific needs of each community, fostering a supportive environment where individuals can improve their basic skills, enhance their employment prospects and achieve sustainable outcomes.
The SSC are promoting the programme as “Make Sport Work” and are hoping this will be the start of a sustainable and scalable programme where other funders, organisations and individuals can use the benefits of sport and physical activity in gaining academic and sporting qualifications, whilst assisting individuals into work or further education through a sporting context.
As part of this collaborative work the Shropshire Sports Collective are calling for anyone who may fit the criteria to participate in the 6 week ‘upskilling’ programme to make contact and take full advantage of the support being provided across the county.
“Through the collective, we’re not just kicking a ball; we’re kicking down barriers and opening doors to brighter futures. By tapping into the power of sport, we’re engaging the people of Shropshire in a transformative journey towards becoming both work ready and life ready. Our partner hub sites, and intensive 6-week fast track courses are the vehicles through which we drive ambition, skills, and opportunity, turning the passion for sport into the passion for success.”
– Calvin Latham, Education & Employability Manager at Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation
“Cricket Shropshire is really excited to be embarking on this collaborative project with the Shropshire Sports Collective. By utilising the power of integrating all of the sport and leisure partners, we strongly believe the range of skills all four organisations can bring to this programme will ensure participants have increased confidence and personal skills to set about a career path following the 6-week programme by making sport work.”
– Steve Reese, Lead Officer at the Shropshire Cricket Board
“The Shropshire Sports Collective project provides the sector with a unique opportunity to bring managerial and operational expertise together from reputable and trusted partners working across sport and physical activity. With the opportunity to tackle social exclusion and inactivity we can demonstrate the power sport and physical activity can play in addressing several community and societal issues across the county.”
– Pete Ezard, CEO at Energize Active Partnership
If you’d like to learn more about the Shropshire Sports Collective and the partners involved, please contact Calvin at Shrewsbury Town FC on [email protected] Or 01743 289177 ext 6.
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