Quality Education
Education is one of the foundation stones on which Central YMCA was built, covering a vast range of provision designed and created to support individuals and organisations no matter their starting point or heritage.
In 2022/23, Central YMCA worked across each region, delivering 26 programmes across 7 sectors to 570 young people.
These sites include 9 partners delivering to 215 learners, of which 164 learners were across 7 football clubs to support young people studying an academic qualification alongside their desire to be involved in sport, coaching and fitness.
We delivered 410 apprenticeship programmes for young people and adults across the country working with over 180 different employers some with multiple locations in England, the majority of which are small to medium-sized enterprises within the private sector.
We delivered 105 specialist adult programmes in Personal Training, Sports Massage and Yoga within YMCA Fit.
Programmes and learning are sequenced to meet learners’ and employer’s needs. Most achieve their planned outcomes, aspire to continue in further/ higher education or move into sustainable employment and develop core personal skills including communication, confidence and team working. Our curriculum, therefore, is learner centric and designed to remove any barriers that our learners arrive with. Our intention is to ensure that our learners achieve their qualification(s) and make progress towards further learning, vocational training, employment and independent living.
Programme Name
Cohort Size
Total Withdrawn
Total Achievers
Overall Achievement %
Adult Loans (Total)
138
23
115
83%
Adult Loans - Skills
33
8
25
76%
Adult Loans - YMCA Fit
105
15
90
86%
Apprenticeships
410
185
244
60%
Study Programme by Learner
451
59
378
Traineeship By Learner
119
21
96
82%
Our core aims and vision is to enable everyone to achieve their potential, irrespective of their background. To do this, we are tackling the issue of unequal education opportunities by basing much of our work in socially and economically disadvantaged communities. Here, we aim to ensure that those who have low prior attainment, or those facing personal challenges, are also given the opportunity to start the journey to a lasting career.
We delivered 3046 classes on our main class timetable in the Club ranging from the classics like Legs, Bums and Tums, Circuits and Indoor Cycle to newly introduced classes like RunFit and CrossHIIT. With mamy members taking part in multiple classes over year we totalled 32,247 active participants in our class schedule.
This has included Tai Chi, Disco Stretch, Aquacise and the ever-popular Zumba Gold. The Older Adult classes are run by our numerous volunteers.
We have 43 live volunteers on our books who not only teach classes, but also assist our PH programme, deliver to youth members, run inductions and even cater for our playschemes. Our classes are generally 45 mins to 1 hour in length. With a class capacity from 10 to 30 depending on the studio location.
A 6-24 week course with sector specific work experience and training up to Level 2 in maths and English our pre-apprenticeships provide the perfect opportunity for young people (16-18) whom have struggled to secure opportunities for personal development and experiential learning.
Bespoke programmes, on a per-learner basis, running from 36-40 weeks our study programmes have been designed to support individuals from all walks for life realise the skills and experience they need to progress towards a meaningful and sustainable career.
We deliver across a range of sectors, concentrating on some of the most in demand skills requirements across the county with a focus on Fitness and Leisure, Sport and Coaching, Early Years and Childcare, Health and Social Care, Horticulture and Gardening, and Employability.
The importance of the study programme provision to our learners is, regardless of their backgrounds, barriers to learning and entry level, they are offered the same opportunities as main-stream colleges via our role on role off provisions. The study programme guides and support them to achieve and progress. No learner is left behind, the provision breaks down barriers, offers support and guidance to all learners with different levels of learning, social needs and learning needs. The impact of the Study programme allows a learner to achieve what they never thought they would achieve, qualifications, confidence and communication skills to progress further into education or employment."
FTA seeks to make the fitness industry accessible and inclusive to all young people by providing a direct route to a successful Personal Training Career. Combining cutting-edge content, inspiring practical workshops, and hands-on work placements, they unlock the potential in young people and enable them to realise their aims of establishing a career in the Health and Fitness sector. (Participant volumes/success rates/employers hosting placements, % into employment). Learners gain regulated YMCA Awards qualifications, endorsed by CIMSPA, that certify their ability to:
Instruct gym-based and group exercise programmes as well as deliver personal training.
Develop a range of clients to support their own business.
Work in a range of environments – indoors, outdoors and in community settings.
In 2022/23, Central YMCA launched a partnership with Premiership Rugby to utilise skills and expertise to deliver successful and high-quality education programmes for young people who have disengaged with mainstream education through a shared objective to develop and deliver a range of curriculum that enables learners to maximise their potential through a nurturing and supportive approach.
With Central YMCA as the education provider, HITZ Premiership Rugby’s employability and education programme uses rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship to support young people to change their life and their future.
This life-changing programme allows our learners to stand out from the crowd – developing the behaviours, attitudes and values, inspired by sport, which are transferrable into the professional world. Driving confidence and self-esteem, whilst simultaneously gaining skills and qualifications, underpins success in education, life and work.
In partnership with a number of Football Clubs across the UK, we deliver a fully funded educational programme that sits alongside high performing professional football training.
We have a responsibility to ensure equal and fair access to all members of society to affordable and quality education. By expanding our provision, diversifying our funding streams, working with a wider range of educational and referral partners we have been able to increase our reach across some of the most deprived areas of the UK and increase active participation across our courses.
As one of England’s largest charitable training providers our Skills team has over 40 years of experience delivering high quality apprenticeships built around learner needs. We have built a portfolio of programmes to support vocational needs nationwide and address the significant skills challenges found in those sectors, supporting individual and organisational growth and development.
Yes
No
Some of them
*Traineeships have changed now but similar programmes are still available.
22/23 also marked some great strides in terms of partnerships with our Employer Partners. By way of example, our long-standing partner and Employee of the Year at our 2023 Apprenticeships Awards—Guinness Partnership.
The Guinness Partnership is one of the largest providers of affordable housing and care in England. Guinness fulfil their social purpose by providing great homes and services, including care services to over 140,000 customers across the country. 2,700 people help Guinness deliver their home, customer and care services. Everything Guinness do is about their customers, their communities and their people. We delivered our first Horticulture Apprenticeship to the Guinness Partnership in 2018. In 2022, they expanded their provision to include Health and Social Care and Business Services. bringing their 2022 apprenticeship intake to 28.
For a written overview of Central YMCA Apprenticeship Awards event please click here.
If there is any organisation in the country that is synonymous with training and apprenticeships, it’s Central YMCA. They are a force to be reckoned with, and absolutely brilliant at not just celebrating apprentices and apprenticeships, but also at celebrating fantastic employers.”
Our commercial fitness training provision set’s tomorrow’s trainers up for success today. YMCAfit continues to uphold their longstanding reputation for delivery industry-leading training in fitness, health and wellbeing, with an especial focus on training those looking to improve the quality of life for others in need.
See our full course offering/prospectus.
YMCA Awards is our awarding and end-point assessment organisation and continues to be a leading, go-to partner in the fitness and education sector. Launching in 1998, YMCA Awards was the first UK-based awarding organisation to focus on health and fitness qualifications.
Read more about the new qualifications
Celebrating 25-years in operation this year we have awarded over half a million qualifications and 350,000 people have advanced their careers with YMCA Awards.
Read more about the event
In our apprenticeship provision, a total of 10 apprentices achieving their qualification had no previous prior attainment or qualifications at entry level but went on to gain a level 2 or 3 apprenticeship respectively.
For those learners achieving their qualification within the education provision, 10 learners with no formal qualifications gained either a level 1 or level 2 qualification, 23 learners progressed from entry level qualifications to those at level 1, 2 or 3.
During 2022/23, 29 learners had an Education, Health and Care Plan in place. These learners were completing their programme of study within the education provision and equated to 6% of learners across our programmes for young people.
Provision
Total Learner Count
% of Cohort
Achievement Number
Achievement %
Withdrawal number
Adult Loans
16
12%
13
2
81%
50
28
26
56%
Study Programme
101
22%
78
22
77%
Traineeship
40
34%
34
5
85%
The vast majority of learners engaged with Central YMCA have experienced significant barriers to learning.
In 2022/23, we introduced dedicated learning support tutors to work with learners/apprentices who disclose a learning disability/difficulty or who have identified as having a support need. The learner support tutor helps to further strengthen the support that vocational tutors provide. A support plan is implemented on an individual basis and agreed with the learner and tutor and where necessary external agency.
A learner/apprentices will meet with the learning support tutor in addition to the reviews conducted with their vocational tutor/employer. Where necessary, the curriculum will be adapted, reasonable adjustments will be put in place to reflect the individual needs and relate to delivery methods, assessment feedback and end point assessment arrangements.
Our aim in 2023/24 is to expand the learning support tutor team for each area of our provision including programmes for young people, apprentices and adult learners.
Over the course of the year, we have also worked significantly to increase awareness of alternative pathway available, especially through improved engagement with parents and schools, and through increased community.
As an organisation one of the key metrics by which we hold ourselves to account is the success of our learners, customers and members, in realising their academic aspirations and subsequent goals in life.
