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03/02/2010 News! Trust Athletes inspire National Apprenticeship Week

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, with events happening across the country celebrating the talents and skills of apprentices and the value of Apprenticeships, three of the Trust athletes went over to Lord's Cricket Ground to offer a helping hand.

This week's National Apprenticeship Week was kicked off at Lord's Cricket Ground, with other events happening across the country. The aim of the event was to celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices and the value of Apprenticeships. Masterclasses for the apprentices in everything from fitness and motivation to media were be led by experts such as British Olympic Medallists Sarah Winckless (Rowing), Sarah Stevenson (Taekwondo), Graham Little from Sky Sports News, Iain Wright MP, and Barry McGuigan MBE former World Featherweight Champion.

DKH Legacy Trust athletes, Francesca Jus-Burke, Sarah Winckless and Sarah Stevenson were asked to host a Goal Setting Session, entitled Setting Goals and Jumping Barriers, which challenged attendees to set goals and identify barriers that they may have to overcome to achieve their goals.

Francesca Jus-Burke, DKH Legacy Trust employee, and World Under 23 Championship Silver Medallist in Rowing, said, "I really enjoyed the event SkillsActive put on, and loved hosting the Goal Setting Session with the two Sarah's. It was great to share our knowledge with potential London 2012 and professional athletes. I hope the young people really benefited from what we did with them."

Stephen Mitchell, Strategic Lead (NGBs and 2012 Legacy) said "The event was a huge success, the athletes all left motivated and with smiles on their faces which was our ultimate goal. The DKH Legacy Trust session went really well, the athletes were a credit to themselves and as representatives of the Trust, it really demonstrated the wider role the Trust can play in supporting AASE going forward."

The workshop sessions provided valuable advice for apprentices and employers, covering a wide range of topics, with some exciting and engaging hosts from both sport and business:

• Jumping Hurdles – an inspirational session with Olympic Medallists Sarah Winckless and Sarah Stevenson and Francesca Jus-Burke an U23 World Championship Medallist. Attendees will be challenged to set goals and identify barriers that they may have to overcome to achieve their dreams.
• Strength and Conditioning – a session taken by Barry Shillabeer, British Swimming's Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, responsible for athletes such as Rebecca Adlington, Joanne Jackson, David Davies and Liam Tancock. Attendees will learn what makes a good strength and conditioning programme and be more insightful about their own strength training programme.
• Working under pressure – a motivational session from Floyd Woodrow MBE, a former SAS member helps attendees explore setting goals, their hunger to achieve and maintaining dedication to make dreams become reality.
• Media training session – Graham Little, a Sky Sports News presenter, discusses sports media and the media related situations that attendees could find themselves in, with the opportunity to deal with an interview experience in front of cameras.
• Introduction to Apprenticeships – Joe Lyons of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation along with SkillsActive staff presents a case study of their experience of running an apprenticeship programme, how companies can benefit from the funding and what opportunities exist.
• Managing and mentoring an Apprentice – Jack Shakespeare from Fit For Sport shares their experiences of how to get the best out of Apprentices and showcases studies of successful Apprenticeship management and delivery.
  

Find out more about National Apprenticeship Week and SkillsActive.