Day Certificate course forms part of training received by those funded by Future Jobs Fund

Throughout March and April 2010 Kent County Council Community Support Wardens received training in the Day Certificate in Sports Leadership. The seven hour course is designed to support adults in a variety of different settings and a number of Community Wardens have previously attended and used the skills learnt whilst carrying out their day-to-day duties.

The 28 Community Support Wardens who attended are all aged 18-24 and funded via the Future Jobs Fund for a period of 6 months. The majority will have been out of work for at least a year and through this employment and working alongside existing Community Wardens they will benefit the communities they serve as well as gaining valuable experience of being in employment and attending training courses like the Day Certificate in Sports Leadership.

The course itself was delivered by Stuart Butler (Leadership and Coaching Development Officer) and Paul Croft (Community Warden for Lydd) and the content very much focused on developing communication and organisational skills. Attendees took part in practical exercises throughout the day and then were tasked with inventing, demonstrating and running their own activities to include their peers as a final assessment. Also included were details of where further training and volunteering opportunities could be accessed.

Successful candidate Patrick Armstrong commented on what he took from the course. “I found having to use my initiative with the equipment we had available, a challenging and enjoyable task. Working as a team to come up with an activity helped to improve my future team working and in particular highlight just how important communication is amongst team members.”

Since they completed the course two of the wardens have approached Kent Youth with regards to attending one of their fully funded Level 2 Award in Community Sports Leadership courses which will further develop and enhance their skills.