Sport (Outdoor Adventure Management) HND (Full time)

Course content

What will I study?

The aim of this course is to provide you with the necessary specialist knowledge required to use sport and outdoor equipment, develop the knowledge and skills to coach outdoor adventurous activities and to demonstrate the required professionalism to work within the sport and outdoor adventure industry. You will also gain a diverse range of subject-specific knowledge from specialist units selected to offer a broad understanding of the outdoor adventure, sport and leisure industry.

During this course you will study the following core compulsory units:

• Research Project
• Outdoor Facility Management
• Adventure Programming
• Entrepreneurism in Sport

You will also study the following specialist units:

• Work Experience
• Personal and Professional Development
• Adventure Therapy Facilitation or Adventure Tourism

There are also work placement opportunities available. Part of the development of employability skills in both years will be working as an instructor for Shuttleworth Activity Centre delivering to school groups and also students studying on the BTEC Level 3 course.

The second year will entail a compulsory work placement with an employer in the outdoor adventurous or sport sector.

Each year on the course there will be compulsory residential trips but also optional extra trips such as skiing in Italy, climbing in Spain or yachting in Croatia. These will vary depending on cohort size/take up.

Day trips to outdoor centres will be an integral part of the course.

Next steps

Course progression:

On completing the HND you will be able to apply through UCAS for direct entry onto the second or third year of a degree programme or seek employment within the outdoor adventure, sport and leisure industry.

Career progression:

Roles in the outdoor adventure industry often start with working as a seasonal instructor at an outdoor centre or on an activity holiday, followed by a move up the ladder to a full-time instructor, a senior instructor and, finally, managing an entire centre.

In the private sector, there are some opportunities to move into overseeing several centres or working at a head office.

In the public sector, promotion usually means moving into more senior administrative work in leisure services or education. Some administrative posts are also available with national governing bodies (NGBs) and sports councils.

Progression within outdoor activities could mean setting up your own business, perhaps concentrating on newer markets for leisure and corporate clients. It is not unusual for such businesses to avoid the liability of owning a centre and to hire venues to deliver their services from. Freelance work is also possible, focusing on advising or training providers. The industry has a relatively high number of freelance instructors working for a range of different centres.

There are some opportunities to teach outdoor pursuits in urban areas, where indoor facilities are available for climbing, canoeing and skiing and local canals or urban lakes can be used for outdoor activities. Involvement in this type of provision can be a way into leisure management in its broadest sense.

A move into further or higher education lecturing or school teaching is possible for those with appropriate qualifications. Outside the broad field of education, other opportunities exist in specialist outdoor equipment manufacture and retail, as well as in visitor and countryside centres.

Large organisations in the private sector provide opportunities to work abroad (especially in the USA and Australia). Outdoor education is sometimes called experiential education in the USA.

Additional information

This course will help you gain the knowledge and skills required for a management role in the sports and leisure industry. It will enable you to make effective contributions in the private, public and voluntary sectors with the expertise required by communities, providers and performers.

The practical programme will be designed to develop higher-level skills in activities alongside developing coaching and leadership skills in delivery. The focus will be on Sailing, Climbing, Kayaking and Canoeing but other areas will also be introduced.

Shuttleworth College run a careers and work placement event each year attended by employers such PGL, Rockley and UKSA, and local providers such as Grafham Water Centre, Fairland’s Valley Outdoor Centre and Big Rock Climbing.

You will also work on learning/developing transferable skills including:

• Leadership and management skills
• Team working skills and the ability to motivate and inspire others
• Group facilitation skills, allowing even those with a limited range of technical outdoor skills to work with groups
• Written and oral communication skills and the ability to establish a rapport with a range of people
• Customer service skills
• Decision-making skills and the ability to stay calm in difficult and challenging situations
• Planning and organisational skills
• Financial skills, such as being able to manage a budget
• Commercial awareness and marketing
• Imaginative and innovative approach to working in the field
• Flexibility in order to meet business and client needs

Additional costs

Any questions?

If you would like to find out more about this or other courses, please use our Livechat below, or contact info@bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk.

If you decide to pay for your course yourself, we also offer an affordable Direct Debit instalments option to help spread the cost of tuition fees (terms apply).