Stoke Mandeville celebrates training success

Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education, SMISE, is celebrating after its first six training courses has helped qualify over 110 people in various training courses in disability sport in the past year.

Launched in 2009, SMISE is an education and training partnership between WheelPower, Bucks New University, Bucks and Milton Keynes County Sports Partnership and Leisure Connection. This programme helps disabled people or those wishing to work within disability sport get into this career field by offering sports education and fast track training opportunities.

Blair MacGillivray, Leisure Connection Regional Manager commented, “These courses have proven essential in helping people enter their chosen career path of working within the disabled sporting world. It is vital that such courses continue so that the future of disability sport is secured. We are thrilled to be able to offer such vital training programmes and hope to welcome more and more people as the courses continue.”

Carina Page, Sport Strategy manager at Buckinghamshire New University and Stoke Mandeville Institute commented, “Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education provides a unique learning experience that is bespoke and tailored for the individual needs. We offer high quality range of courses from basic disability awareness right through to sport specific courses and we provide a learning pathway and support system for our learners.

It is our overall aim to empower disabled people to play an active role in their continual professional development in sport and physical activity as coaches, leaders, officials and volunteers. In addition to this SMISE aims to contribute to a more coordinated, effective delivery system for disability sports education and training, working closely with employers, educational partners and key stakeholders to ensure the disability sport and leisure workforce is appropriately skilled and qualified now and for the future.”

Martin McElhatton, chief executive of WheelPower commented, “Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education aims to be a world leading provider for National Governing Bodies of Sport and Disability Sports Organisations to build capacity in the sector through courses across a range of areas including coaching, officiating, disability awareness and classification. Through increasing the workforce trained in all of these areas we can help grow sport for people with disabilities, ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in sport and provide pathways for those with talent so they can excel. SMISE also provides opportunities for disabled people to be involved in sport not only as participants but as coaches, referees and officials, volunteers and classifiers."

Stoke Mandeville Institute of Sport and Education aims to;

• Contribute to a more coordinated, effective delivery system for disability sports education and training. Providing a unique programme of education and training with a specific focus on disability sport.
• Provide a unique holistic programme of sport and leisure education and training opportunities. The institute has a specific disability focus creating accessible and inclusive learning opportunities for disabled people and those working or wishing to work in disability sport.
• Support and build the existing capacity of local and national disability sports organisations and clubs to increase the quantity and quality of sports provision at the grassroots through to elite level sport. Develop and deliver courses that raise the awareness of the needs of disabled people within sport and leisure, to give deliverers the skills to include disabled people in their sports activities.
• Empowering disabled people to take a more active role in sport and physical activity by recruiting and training disabled people to be tutors, coaches, officials, volunteers and classifiers within a variety of sports and activities.
SMISE wishes to work with employers, educational partners and key stakeholders to ensure the disability sport and leisure workforce is appropriately skilled and qualified.

If you wish to find out more information about SMISE, the types of courses available or become an education delivery partner please contact Carina Page, Sport Strategy Manager on 07920 150 465.