Kyle Phillpots, director of training and education at the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) will recognise the achievements of our next generation of golf stars at Stonebridge Golf Club, Coventry tomorrow (Wednesday 19th September).
The students have recently completed their Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in golf, a Learning and Skills Council funded initiative designed to meet the needs of young people who have the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport.
AASE in golf has been delivered over the past three years to over fifty young athletes who have gone on to achieve American scholarships, Professional Golfers’ Association programmes and roles as assistant professionals in golf clubs across the UK.
The event has been arranged by SkillsActive and Solihull College. Starting at 10am, forty golfers from four colleges offering the AASE programme will take to the golf course to compete in a tournament. Following this there will be a food and drinks reception where students who have completed their AASE in golf will be presented with their certificates and there will be a photo opportunity with a Ryder Cup replica.
Following an introduction from Solihull College principal Brenda Sheils, one of the colleges delivering the AASE programme, Kyle Phillpots will reinforce the PGA’s commitment to the AASE programme. Brenda Sheils and SkillsActive chief executive Stephen Studd will recognise their achievements and talk about how the programme prepares our golf stars for successful careers both on and off the fairway.
Stephen Studd said, “Vocational training is integral to creating a skills legacy in light of, and beyond the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. SkillsActive are now working with the England Golf Partnership on rolling the AASE programme out further with a more strategic approach to entry criteria, support materials and progression opportunities.
“Starting this September, golf ‘academies’ will also be delivering AASE in Cumbria, Norwich, Essex and Grimsby. It really is going from strength to strength.”
The apprentices at the event are going on to a range of progression opportunities including employment with the Professional Golfers’ Association, golf management degrees at Birmingham University and scholarships both in the UK and abroad.
For more information on the AASE programme visit the SkillsActive website:
www.skillsactive.com/training/apprenticeships/england/aase