Institute of Swimming partner with Places Leisure to help solve the shortage of Swimming Teachers.

The Institute of Swimming have launched a brand new nationwide Recruitment Academy with Places Leisure in a bid to help solve the shortage of swimming teachers.

The UK is currently facing a shortage of around 8,000 swimming teachers meaning 600,000 people are currently missing out on swimming lessons. The Recruitment Academy serves as one of the initiatives from the Institute of Swimming to help solve this.

The Swimming Teacher Recruitment Academy gives people the chance to become a swimming teacher for a fraction of the cost, compared to the usual £1,000 and takes them through the Swim England Level 1 Swimming Assistant (Teaching) Course and Level 2 Teaching Swimming Qualification and provides access to industry-leading Institute of Swimming Membership.

The Academy is a one-stop-shop for employers to source and recruit swimming teachers of the future, managing the end to end recruitment process for the operator which can often become time consuming and resource intensive.

The trainee teachers will work with Places Leisure to gain practical experience and valuable advice from mentors, ensuring they have the necessary experience for the role. The Institute of Swimming will manage the search and recruitment of trainee teachers while supporting them through their training on behalf of Places Leisure, ensuring teachers are trained to the highest level. Once qualified, trainees can be employed by Places Leisure and will also benefit from additional support with a mentor, access to courses for career development, Institute of Swimming Membership for their first year and CIMSPA membership.

Mark Haslam, Head of Swimming and Sport at Places Leisure said,

“Like many businesses we have been affected by a period of not being able to recruit or train staff, particularly into roles that require qualifications like teaching swimming. Working in partnership with the Institute of Swimming and Swim England’s workforce development team we have come up with a solution to make the qualifications process more accessible to people who are interested in becoming the Swimming Teachers of the future. Teaching swimming can be an ideal first step into a career in leisure, or a part-time role that fits in around busy lifestyle. It’s highly rewarding, enjoyable and a great qualification to have. We’re looking forward to welcoming applications and working with Institute of Swimming and Swim England to ensure our Centres can continue to meet the demand for swimming lessons in the coming years”.

Alex Hains, Head of Business Engagement said

“We are very aware of the struggles operators are having recruiting new people in to the sector. Teaching swimming is a very rewarding role with flexible hours but the cost of qualifying can be a barrier for some people wanting to enter the profession. We want this career opportunity to be available to everyone. Our Recruitment Academy not only helps remove the barrier of cost to the individual giving people the opportunity to qualify for a fraction of the cost but it has also proven very effective in finding new and motivated people to bring in to the sector.”

Katy Butterfield, Workforce Business Manager said

“We are delighted to be working with Places Leisure across over 60 locations nationwide to train and recruit nearly 200 swimming teachers to help deliver and develop a highly-skilled, sustainable workforce. As the UK’s leading provider of swimming teacher training and aquatic workforce development specialising in the recruitment and retention of aquatic professionals we are best placed to provide this service. Those that access the program can use it as a sustainable solution to maintain their workforce to ensure they can meet their ongoing business needs.”

Find out how to apply or how to get involved with the Recruitment Academy scheme