Leadership Academy Development Fund

The Leadership Academy Development Fund is for colleges who are part of the AoC Sport Leadership Academy and who are committed to diversifying their student volunteer workforce.

Up to £800 of funding can be used for an innovative project or programme, which focuses on recruiting new volunteers from under-represented groups. These include disabled students, students from a BAME background, female students, LBGTQ+ students or students from lower socio-economic groups.

The aim of the Leadership Academy is to ensure the workforce is fully representative of the college population it serves and currently this is not the case.

AoC Sport’s volunteering data shows that female, BAME and disabled students were under-represented in sport and physical activity volunteer roles in 2019/20. Data from the British Active Student Survey 2020 shows that these groups were also less active than their male, white and non-disabled peers.

While we are not suggesting this is a causal link, increasing the diversity of the volunteer workforce could be an important step in increasing the diversity of participation in sport and physical activity.

Successful colleges receive ongoing support from AoC Sport

Development and Project officers and promotion of college and project

achievement through AoC Sport media channels.

Current Development Fund Projects

Colleges that are receiving funding in 2021/22:

• Newcastle College
• Newfriars College
• RNN College Group
  
• South Essex College
  

Applications are now closed for 2021/22. If you have any questions please contact Kirstie.Hickson@aoc.co.uk or Sarah.Nickless@aoc.co.uk.

Previous Development Fund Projects

Colleges that received Leadership Academy Development Funding in 2020/21:

• City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
• Kirklees College
• Leeds City College
• Tyne Metropolitan College
• Varndean College.