 5/5

KICKSTART PERFORMANCE SKILLS

Understand professional sports performance and get work experience

If you want to work in performance sport – you need work experience to show that you can do the job. In today’s competitive environment, this can sometimes prove hard to achieve. This course is ideal for those wanting to invest in their development. It has been specifically designed to help you develop the skills, mindset and methods to land desirable work experience placements and ultimately, your first job in sports performance.

Experience shows that it is not enough to rely on academic qualifications; this course has the clear and simple aim of boosting your chances of good-quality employment once you’ve graduated. After completing the course you will have the skills and confidence to kickstart your career in sports performance and achieve your goals.

This course is a proven method to guide you through the essential lessons about the skills you’ll need in your sports performance career, with engaging and interactive activities to help you take your first steps toward succeeding in work.

Acquire The Complete Skillset To Bridge The Gap:

This course aims to equip you with a complete skillset to stand out in the sports performance industry. It is ideal for those who are thinking seriously about their career and know they need to invest in their development.

Students who have completed this course show persistence, willingness to learn and the right mindset to succeed in performance teams. Taking this course will put you in the top 3% of talent and position you ahead of the pack with the skills, experience and mindset that employers need. Not only do you benefit from the expert teaching and insights about what a career in sports performance really looks like, you’ll also be given a certificate at the end of the course to add to your portfolio.

Qualifications
Kickstart Performance Skills is a certificated track. You can take additional modules to start studying for the interdisciplinary award (completed by undertaking modules in Graduate to Performance).

Why Do I Need Sports Performance-related Work Experience?

If it’s your ambition to fast track your sports performance career development, then you should be aiming to land quality work experience placements at the earliest opportunity. But in such a competitive industry, this can prove tricky and may take a while to achieve – often leaving aspiring practitioners in limbo.

The organisations that award placements are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing candidates. That’s why it is important to stand out for your confidence and professionalism. You may have some transferable skills from previous employment, but this isn’t always enough – particularly if you’re aiming to work in sports performance at a high level.

Our Kickstart Performance Skills course is a quick and effective way to teach you practical skills relevant to the sports performance industry. It offers a unique opportunity to learn from experienced professionals such as Dr Steve Ingham, who can share insights from his decades of experience working on prestigious projects with elite athletes.

Get Ready For Work

We support you to acquire high quality work experience, teach you the skills necessary to thrive in the workplace and ready yourself to succeed working in sports performance.

4 Core Modules

-Creating your future
-Understanding work in sports performance
-Growing skills & work experience
-Thriving & professionalism

Community

Don't go it alone. Learn and develop together in our unique community hub. Network with like-minded people, get feedback on work, forge connections and ask your questions.

28 Bitesize Lessons

A step-by-step process to take you from your first realisations about the need to develop yourself through to acquiring and succeeding in work experience.

Online, On-demand Course Format

High-quality video tutorials in a digestible format. Learn on the go, in short sessions, or join blocks together to go at your own pace.

12 Worksheets

12 actionable worksheets to inspire you to move forward. Optional to complete, they'll continue to be useful long after you've finished your course.

What Will The Kickstart Performance Skills Course Cover?

This course is for students of sports and exercise aiming to work as a professional in sports and performance. The realities of working in the industry means that there is a strong possibility that you’ll be exposed – not in a good way. The skills you’ll be required to develop, demonstrate and excel at in work are rarely trained at university, at worst they’re not even talked about.

Creating your future lessons

How people are making a difference by supporting athletes and teams
Your current status and work prospects in sport and performance
Why your university education is unlikely to equip you for working in sport and performance
The importance of craft skills

Module duration 42 mins
Optional activities approx 1 hour 30 mins

Understanding work in sports and performance lessons

Case study: Sir Steve Redgrave
The demand of working in sports performance environments
The transferability of craft skills to other professions
Developing your performance focus and taking action

Module duration 53 mins
Optional activities approx 1 hour 45 mins

Applied skills and growing experience lessons

Case study: Beijing Olympics exposes craft skills
The determinants of your performance
Priority professional skills
How to grow your abilities

Module duration 44 mins
Optional activities approx 3 hours

Thriving and professionalism lessons

Turning up to work and starting well
Reflective practice
Developing your professional skills
Being effective in your studies

Module duration 26 mins
Optional activities approx 1 hour 30 mins

Sample Clips From The Course

Course + Community = Results

You’ll have access to the course for the lifetime of the course. On top of the course content, a chance to connect with your expert tutor, you’ll have access to the Supporting Champions community forever!

In the community, you’ll find:

Course students from around the world, learning & engaging together

About The Course Tutor

Dr. Steve Ingham

"With KPS I have one simple aim; to support those with an ambition to work in sports and performance to increase their chances of having a successful career, by developing the skills necessary to thrive in work - while you're studying. I've distilled my experience of supporting thousands of athletes and developing thousands of performance professionals into this course, to help you take ownership of your future by following a proven path to success."
Some of the roles I've held in high-performance:
2016 - present: Performance Consultant, Supporting Champions.
2013 - 2016: Director of Science and Technical Development, English Institute of Sport.
2009 - 2013: Head of Physiology, English Institute of Sport.
2005 - 2009: Lead Physiologist, English Institute of Sport.
1998 - 2004: Senior Physiologist & Sports Science Manager, British Olympic Association.
1997 - 1998: Sports Performance Officer, English Sports Council.

Course Reviews

“This course gives excellent insight and recommendations for helping me work in the world of high performance”

"As a recent graduate, this course is very relatable and beneficial in helping me at this stage in my life!"

“I now understand what are the priority areas of personal and interpersonal skills required to grow as a practitioner”