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job vacancies in leisure, sport and tourism This is an exciting time to be part of the sport and leisure sector. With high levels of investment planned by government and employers, mainly in response to the successful London Olympics bid for 2012, there are more graduate career opportunities than ever before. The sector is a high-growth area, thanks largely to: Ads by Google - society’s need for a healthier lifestyle;
- the perception of the need for a good work/life balance; and
- increased leisure time.
One area that has been negatively affected recently is the bingo industry. Since the introduction of the Smoking Ban Law in 2006-2007, 21 clubs have already closed in Scotland due to a drop in attendees (The Bingo Association, 2007). What kind of work can I do?The three main areas of work are: Health and fitness- club and duty management;
- sales and marketing;
- instructing and coaching;
- consultancy work based on GP referrals - usually with particular sections of the population, e.g. those with diabetes, arthritis;
- osteopathy, naturopathy and chiropractic;
- lifestyle consultancy and nutrition - opportunities are increasing as the sector embraces the concept of wellness.
Betting and gambling- area, club and duty management in a range of venues, including casinos and bingo halls;
- online games software development and business development;
- preventing fraud and collusion; and
- trading and retail management.
Sport and recreation- sport development, performance, administration and facility management;
- general management in venues including theme parks, cinemas and tourist attractions;
- outdoor pursuits;
- sport media in roles, including writing, PR and marketing.
What’s it like working in this sector?- Working hours can be long. Employees are often required to work shift patterns and weekends.
- Typical salaries after training range from £20,000 to £35,000 (Graduate Recruitment Bureau, 2007).
- 54% of the sport and recreation workforce in England is female, in contrast to the overall workforce, which is only 48% female. It also has a higher proportion of young people (16 - 24) than the workforce across England as a whole (SkillsActive Skills Needs Assessment for England 2005).
- Ninety five percent of employees are currently from white ethnic groups, compared to 93% in the whole economy (SkillsActive Skills Needs Assessment).
How big is this sector?Leisure and sport- The sporting industry employs 2% of all UK workers (around 576,000 people) and accounts for 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) (National Guidance Research Forum, 2005).
- Private health clubs and public leisure centres employ over 50,000 staff (Skills Active, 2007).
Cinema, visitor attractions, museums- In 2006 85,441 people worked in the visitor attraction/museum industry (Visit Britain Distribution of Employment by Type Category Survey, 2006).
Betting and gambling- There were over 140 casinos when the Gambling Act 2005 came into operation on 1 September 2007. The new Act allows for an additional 17 casinos.
- The horseracing and breeding industry supports 88,000 jobs (British Horse Racing Authority, 2007).
- There are 16,310 employees in the UK casino industry, 18,500 employed in bingo clubs and 22,000 in the gaming machine industry (The Gambling Commission Annual Report 2005/2006).
Where can I work?Opportunities for graduates exist throughout the UK with a greater concentration in South-East England. There are also significant opportunities in the North West and Scotland. Wales and Northern Ireland have the lowest numbers of employees. With the increase in large, multinational health clubs and betting and gaming employers, worldwide positions may be possible. See opportunities abroad. |
