UK Sport High-Performance Coach Apprenticeship Project (HiCAP)

For the short to medium term, UK Sport will look to partner with the successful and qualified/accredited organisation to register learners, co-create and deliver the off-job learning and development opportunities, and certify learners.

Throughout 2019 UK Sport in collaboration with Sporting People and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) led the process of consultation to create and implement a new national standard for coaching in high-performance environments. This was submitted to the professional development board for sign-off and in turn published by CIMSPA in December 2019. This standard supplemented previous work by CIMSPA in collaboration with other environment specific organisations to create sibling standards around the coaching in school sport environments and coaching in community sport environments.

The aim of the Apprenticeship is twofold; to provide a pathway high-performance coaching knowledge and skill development solution which supports individuals to grow the pathway coaching workforce, as well as growing the talent pool of future podium coaches across Olympic and Paralympic - summer and winter sports.

UK Sport will work with partner National Governing Bodies to access Apprenticeship Levy funding and use digital credits to 'pay' for new apprentice coaches to access the HiCAP and be employed as a coach in their respective sport.

UK Sport wish to commission one provider to deliver the HiCAP to a cohort of learners (number to be determined but expected to be circa. 10-30) who will be employed by their respective sports. The apprenticeship will begin from January 2021. It is anticipated that there will be approximately 20 p/annum over the course of the Paris 2024 cycle (number of cohorts not yet known) who will enroll knowing of the 12-15 month registration period on the apprenticeship (duration to be determined post Institute for Apprenticeships confirmation).

It is important for potential bidders to note that UK Sport are seeking one provider who will train all apprentices to help ensure improved returns on UK Sport strategic aims and alignment to UK Sport approved learning and development theory and practice, and coaching knowledge and skills development curricula.

The learners employed by each sport will be selected via a nomination and recruitment process, lead and managed by UK Sport in collaboration with the successful provider and NGB line managers/HR staff ("the Services"). As this process is conducted below the EU threshold for tenders there is no separate pre-qualification stage or questionnaire.

This open tender process presents a significant reputational and financial* opportunity for an organisation with national reach to become the commissioned training provider for UK Sport's HiCAP.