10th February 2026
Coach Core Sussex: Building an Inclusive Workforce Through Sport
Nick Chellel, Strategic Workforce Officer at Active Sussex, looks at why the Coach Core Sussex apprenticeship scheme is a valuable and effective way to develop a stronger workforce in Sussex.
As Strategic Workforce Officer at Active Sussex, my role is to help ensure we develop a sport and physical activity workforce that is skilled, sustainable, and reflective of the communities we serve. With this week marking National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (February 9-15), it is a timely moment to reflect on the impact of the Coach Core Sussex apprenticeship scheme and its contribution to tackling inequalities through sport and physical activity.
Coach Core remains one of our most effective workforce interventions. It supports young people aged 16–24, many of whom have experienced barriers to education or employment, into paid apprenticeships. It also helps organisations build capacity and strengthen inclusive delivery.
Coach Core and Getting Sussex Moving
Getting Sussex Moving is clear in its ambition: to tackle inequalities and support those least active to be more active, more often. To achieve this, we need more than programmes and funding. We need the right people, in the right places, with the right skills and lived experience to connect with communities.
Coach Core plays a vital role in this system. By supporting young people aged 16–24 into paid apprenticeships within sport and physical activity, the programme helps build a workforce that understands local communities, reflects their diversity and can build trusted relationships with people who are often underrepresented in traditional provision.
Our Coach Core apprentices have supported community clubs, schools, leisure providers and place-based partnerships. Their work has directly contributed to inclusive delivery, outreach, and engagement with children and young people facing the greatest barriers to being active.
Reflecting on the third cohort: success, challenge and positive outcomes
The third Coach Core Sussex cohort has seen apprentices grow in confidence, skills and ambition, while employers have benefited from additional capacity and stronger community connections.
One experience particularly stands out. An apprentice with additional needs faced challenges while taking part in the programme. In response, Coach Core, Active Sussex, the education tutor and the employer worked together to increase support, introduce regular check-ins and co-produce an inclusion passport to help staff better understand and support the individual.
Through this process, it became clear the young person aspired to work in disability football. He was offered a disability football coaching apprenticeship that better matched his goals and support needs. Although this meant leaving Coach Core close to completion, we worked closely with the new provider to ensure a smooth transition. The learning and confidence gained through Coach Core provided a strong foundation for his next step.
This was a positive exit and a powerful example of the system working together to put the young person first.
National context: investing in young people and apprenticeships
The recent publication of Youth Matters, the Government’s youth strategy, alongside continued investment in apprenticeships, reinforces the importance of creating clear, supported pathways into work for young people.
National Apprenticeship Week 2026 provides a timely opportunity to celebrate the impact of apprenticeships locally, while also recognising our responsibility as a sector to do more.
Sport and physical activity play a crucial role in this agenda. Our sector develops far more than technical coaching skills – it nurtures leadership, teamwork, communication, resilience and confidence. By investing in apprenticeships such as Coach Core, we are aligning local delivery with national priorities, while addressing inequalities at a place-based level across Sussex.
Why Coach Core matters for employers
Becoming a Coach Core Sussex employer is both a workforce decision and a leadership one. Employers are helping to shape a more inclusive workforce that can deliver on the ambitions of Getting Sussex Moving and reach those most affected by inequality. Employers benefit from:
- Funded apprenticeship support
- Ongoing guidance from Active Sussex and Coach Core
- Increased confidence supporting young people with different needs
- A more diverse, community-connected workforce
For organisations that are hesitant, it is important to emphasise you are not doing this alone. Challenges are expected, and the system is in place to support you and your apprentice to achieve the best possible outcome.
Celebrating impact during National Apprenticeship Week
National Apprenticeship Week is also a time to celebrate success. We are proud that Volume 1 Climbing, a Coach Core Sussex employer, was shortlisted for the Employer of the Year – Breakthrough Award at the 2026 Coach Core Awards.
We also celebrated Aaron Bishop, a Coach Core Sussex graduate, who won Graduate of the Year last year. These achievements demonstrate the real, national impact Coach Core Sussex is having on young people, employers and the wider system.
Act now: join the Coach Core Sussex Employer Online Showcase
If you are considering how to strengthen your workforce, support inclusive delivery and invest in young people, now is the time to act.
The Active Sussex Coach Core Sussex Employer Online Showcase Event will give you a clear, honest insight into:
- How the apprenticeship works in practice
- What support is available to employers
- The impact Coach Core can have on your organisation and community
If we are serious about tackling inequalities and Getting Sussex Moving, we must invest in people as well as programmes. Coach Core Sussex is a proven, supported way to do this.
Your organisation could be the opportunity that changes a young person’s future.
