English Colleges FA to partner with Active IQ to upskill FA Women's Football apprentices

The English Colleges Football Association (ECFA), the football delivery arm of AoC Sport, is delighted to be working with Active IQ over the next two years to upskill a diverse range of female leaders. Active IQ is an awarding organisation recognised and regulated by who design, quality assure and award a wide range of accredited qualifications. They also offer a broad suite of other products and services, including eLearning, Apprenticeship packages, Professional Recognition and Professional Career Development opportunities. Existing and prospective apprentices (activators) on the FA Women’s Football Apprenticeship programme will benefit from this partnership, as they will have access to the Active IQ Skills Hub, bespoke webinars and mental health resources. Arming the young leaders with an array of skills and knowledge, which will ensure they are better equipped to support themselves and those around them is of the greatest importance in the current situation. Furthermore, Active IQ have developed a number of mental health resources which will again be available to apprentices and activators. Sarah Nickless, AoC Sport Women’s Football Development Officer, said: “This is a great partnership for us, and most importantly for our members, adding value to an already incredible learning and development programme and supporting our ambitions to develop current and female leaders. The Active IQ courses offer education on topics vital to surviving the current and future world, broadening the scope of our offer to ensure females are equipped to lead in football and in life.” Colleges employing a women’s football apprentice or others on the Level 3 Community Sport Health Officer standard can use Active IQ as their End Point Assessment organisation. “We are delighted to be supporting the ECFA through the AoC by offering broad access to our resources, upskilling programmes and mental health awareness materials,” says Jenny Patrickson, Active IQ Managing Director. “Success at all levels of sports participation and coaching relies on more than athletic skills. It’s paramount that apprentices have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, gain mental health awareness within themselves and those around them and the chance to appreciate the wider industry context of their work as a role model and leader. “We aim to bring significant additional benefits and support to the AoC football apprentices as they study and qualify in their chosen field.”