Derby County Community Trust Apprentice One of the First in the UK to Achieve New Coaching Standard

National First for Mitre Group Apprentice

Derby County Community Trust apprentice, Will Mellor, has become one of the first in the UK to achieve the new level 2 coaching apprenticeship. The new Community Activator Coach Standard is among a number of Standards being rolled out by the government with the aim of raising the quality of apprenticeships for learners and their employers by 2020. In passing his apprenticeship, taught by Mitre’s tutors, Will is among an elite few.

Will began his apprenticeship in July 2018 following the successful completion of a traineeship with Derby County Community Trust (DCCT). His achievements at DCCT were recognised when he became the club’s Education Champion at the end of 2018.

“It’s amazing to be one of the first people to pass the new apprenticeship,” said Will Mellor, DCCT; “I’ve loved being involved in sport since I was really young and knew I wanted to turn it into a career. It was brilliant to be given the chance to do a traineeship with DCCT and to learn new skills so I could take on the apprenticeship. Securing a full-time job here is amazing and I want to keep adding to my qualifications after this and progressing in my career as a sports coach.”

Simon Carnall, Head of Community at Derby County Community Trust added: “We are incredibly proud that Will is among the first in the country to achieve his level 2 qualification at the new standard. All our trainees and apprentices work incredibly hard to build their skills and, with the support of our experienced training partner Mitre, we are really proud to offer so many exciting learning opportunities to those in our local community who want to work in sport and add to their education.”

The Level 2 Community Activator Standard is one of many programmes Mitre Group offers staff and learners at DCCT. The two organisations have been working in partnership for 14 years. Mitre’s experienced teaching staff provide all the on-site training for the Trust’s learners, with End Point Assessments (EPAs) completed by Active IQ.

Steve Conopo, Head of Assessment Services at Active IQ, said: “It’s been great working with Mitre Group as they grow their provision within the sector. The tutors at Mitre are experts in their field and their training sets the barre in the sports sector and it’s a pleasure to see that reflected in the success of their students.”

Jennie Bowmer, Managing Director at Mitre Group, added: “This is such great news for Will and the whole team at DCCT. As the new academic year begins, we’re looking forward to another successful year with the Trust. In addition to the existing programmes, we’re also really pleased to be helping the Trust with over 10 additional apprenticeships by enabling Derby County FC to gift its surplus apprenticeship levy to the trust. It is an innovative way to make the most of the levy by putting it back into the community and we are hoping to work with more organisations this year who would like to use gifting to support new training opportunities.”

As well as the new coaching standard, Mitre’s team is also providing a wide range of other programmes to support the sports and leisure sector, from apprenticeships for those embarking on community health, teaching assistant, team leader, project manager, outdoor instructor and fitness instructors roles, through to employability programmes for those seeking to enter the sector, through to spectator safety, customer service, leadership and management, team building and mental health training to support ongoing workforce development.