Work-ready graduates through higher education partnership

CIMSPA’s higher education partnership network is growing, as higher education establishments team up with the institute to help create degree programmes that also foster employable skills for graduates.

  • Launched in 2019, CIMSPA’s higher education endorsement scheme aligns undergraduate and post- graduate degree programmes with the chartered institute’s employer- led professional standards.
  • The programme was developed by CIMSPA and its higher education partners, and has been ratified by the sector’s employers to ensure the content of CIMSPA-endorsed degrees provides students with the knowledge, skills and experience that employers value most.
  • This, in turn, ensures that graduates of these endorsed degree programmes are ‘work ready’: they have demonstrated they have the knowledge and skills required for a particular job, so they can step into their first career role in the sector.

 

Professional qualifications

The first professional qualifications have been issued to students and graduates of endorsed degrees over the past five years – giving operators access to a bigger, multi-skilled workforce.

Such a qualification confers a status that is awarded by the pertinent body to honour the achievement of competency within an occupation, outlined by the professional standard completed.

Industry-relevant qualifications

CIMSPA’s higher education partnership network is growing, with 36 universities and higher education institutions engaging with the chartered institute to build employable skills into degree programmes to make graduates more employable. To date, more than 100 degrees across the UK have been endorsed by CIMSPA.

Of these, 14 institutions have been able to apply to CIMSPA for Professional Qualification certificates across a number of occupations, environments and populations in exercise and fitness, community sport and performance sport industry areas.

Students completing CIMSPA- endorsed programmes can gain a degree endorsed against a number of CIMSPA’s employer-led professional standards such as General Manager, Gym Instructor, Coach, Health Navigator and Personal Trainer.

For example, a student who has achieved a CIMSPA-endorsed BA (Hons) Sports Coaching and Development, is awarded the Coach, Working in the Community Environment and Working with Inactive People professional qualifications.

Similarly, a student who has achieved Level 4 on a CIMSPA-endorsed BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, receives a professional qualification of Gym Instructor.

In an innovative move, some of the higher education institutions have aligned the foundation level of the degree to entry professional standards. This means students will achieve an employability benchmark even before they graduate – making it easier to take part in suitable work placements during their studies.

“The CIMSPA endorsement [...] clearly adds significant value to their studies, and professional development, and equips them extremely well for obtaining graduate employment.”

Michael Salla, Everton FC’s director of health and sport

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