SBT2269 Careermag for Parents Issue 5 v2 FINAL | Page 3

FOREWORD
FOREWORD
Careers in Sport
This issue of Careermag for Parents includes a special focus on careers
in sport. We are extremely pleased to be working with Pearson BTEC
on their ‘Careers in Sport’ campaign to help raise awareness of the
wide array of opportunities for learners that exist in the sport sector.
M
ax Whitlock is passionate about sport. Having
become aware that students might not be
considering all the careers they can access
when they make their choices at school or college, he
is keen to show young people and their parents that
there are so many essential sport roles that make my
achievements possible.
A personal message from Max Whitlock
My BTEC helped me as an athlete and a businessman,
and many of the roles within my team now, such as
conditioning coach, gym instructor and nutritionist can be
reached directly from a sport qualification such as BTEC.
This campaign aims to tackle the stereotypical
assumptions made around what opportunities are
open to those who choose to study sport. It can be
difficult for young students to know what they would
like to do when they’re older, especially when they don’t
know what pathways are possible. Our aim is to profile
as many careers within the sports sector to help give
an understanding of the potential roles out there to as
many young people as we can - and give them a flavour
of what those roles entail.
We want to move away from the perception that only
elite level sportspeople have a career in sport. The
sport sector is a major employer in the UK with 445,365
people employed or self-employed in the industry
(CIMSPA workforce report Nov 19). I believe we need to
move away from the perception, especially at school
or college, that a career in sport can only mean a role
as a PE teacher or a Personal Trainer. These roles are
essential, but I want to highlight that there are so many
more roles for young people to aspire towards.
We’ve worked with individuals, brands and governing
bodies ranging from sports journalist Mike Bushell, to
sporting public bodies such as UK Sport, who have all
given us a greater understanding into what they do,
how they got there and what their roles entail.
Together with Pearson BTEC, I’d like to present some of
those options to you in this month’s Careermag, with
a special spotlight on sport as a qualification subject.
Explore the roles available for your children and discover
why sport is a choice worth considering.
Max Whitlock
Double Olympic Gold Champion
& Pearson BTEC Ambassador
www.careermap.co.uk Issue 5 | 3