A valuable new qualification for sport and physical activity managers
Why to apply for Cardiff Metropolitan University’s sport management certificate and its first micro-credential module starting in February 2025
If you are a manager in the sport and physical activity sector beginning to settle into your leadership role, Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Certificate of Higher Education in Sport Management could be the course for you. But why this course and not another of the many, many management training options available?
You’re busy – you’ve already begun your career in the sector. Likely now working as a manager, your day-to-day involves overseeing staff and taking on a wide range of other responsibilities, too. When investing precious time and money in training, you need to be certain that it will provide good value in both elements.
With some training costing serious amounts of money, you need to be sure that the content is useful and relevant to your role. It’s also important that you can demonstrate that to employers and clients by receiving a qualification at the end of it.
Finding the right learning – and the right training provider – for your specialist needs can be tricky. With a whole host of learning podcasts, social media training and billions of search engine results for courses, it can be tricky to find the education best suited to progressing your career.
One of the major highlights of the sport management course from Cardiff Metropolitan University is that it is split into six focused micro-credentials. While that allows the qualification to offer an excellent middle ground between the flexibility of online CPD and the in-depth learning provided by longer courses, this thoughtful design doesn’t necessarily convince you of the quality of the training.
Fortunately, the Certificate of Higher Education boasts a number of other advantages that make it clear that you receive real-world value for both time and money:
- It’s endorsed by CIMSPA
- It’s a level 4 qualification
- You only pay for what you need
We’ll explain why these elements are marks of quality that you can rely on.
CIMSPA endorsement
With university tuition fees rising this year – alongside the ever-increasing cost of living – finding affordable, relevant learning at one of the leading UK universities for sport might sound too good to be true. But, believe it or not, Cardiff Metropolitan University has crafted the Principles of Sport Management Certificate of Higher Education with the aim of offering the best value to learners.
In order to design and offer this suite of sport management micro-credential modules, the university has worked with CIMSPA to conduct extensive research into what the sector needs from its training opportunities. The higher education institution has listened to the concerns of working professionals regarding accessing development opportunities around their careers and produced a flexible learning model containing information and practical guidance as required by sector employers.
In order to design and offer this suite of sport management micro-credential modules, the university has worked with CIMSPA to conduct extensive research into what the sector needs from its training opportunities. The higher education institution has listened to the concerns of working professionals regarding accessing development opportunities around their careers and produced a flexible learning model containing information and practical guidance as required by sector employers.
The sport management course is also mapped to the Entry Manager professional standard. This framework, created by sector employers and managed by CIMSPA, sets out the role and scope of individuals employed in a first-line management position who are able to work independently under some supervision and direction.
Because it is aligned with this professional standard and provided by CIMSPA Higher Education Partner Cardiff Metropolitan University, the course has been awarded CIMSPA endorsement. Endorsement is only gained through a rigorous quality-assurance process and reflects a commitment by the higher education provider to equip students with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively transition into roles in the sector by aligning courses with professional standards.
This all means that you can be absolutely certain that the training you are investing in will teach you sector-relevant skills that real employers are asking for. By focusing in on exactly what you need to know and how to apply that knowledge to your current role, the university is ensuring that every penny of your tuition fees is spent on learning that will develop your career and boost your understanding of sport and physical activity management.
Level 4 – what does it mean?
When putting your hard work and hard-earned money into a qualification, it’s important to ensure that you understand what exactly you are getting. It’s also useful if employers and clients understand this, too, so that they recognise your skill set. Choosing a level 4 Certificate of Higher Education allows you to make your professional life easier, ensuring that you are committing to a qualification that will help to advance your sport management career. By adding a clear and universally recognised qualification level to your CV, you can beat the AI recruitment software and impress the strictest hiring managers.
According to the qualification framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are nine levels of formal qualification you can gain. Not all training is included in the framework, so while a learning opportunity may offer handy tips and useful information, employers are unlikely to be able to understand this from your CV. With a course recognised under the official qualification framework, employers can check what you know and have confidence that you are able to perform your role to the required standard.
The levels range from entry level, offering basic skills qualifications for beginners, to level 8, which includes doctorate degrees and other advanced qualifications. As you can see, the Principles of Sport Management level 4 qualification sits neatly in the middle. Other level 4 qualifications you might be familiar with include higher apprenticeships and level 4 NVQs. Though equally valuable, these qualifications of the same level require a significantly longer time commitment and less flexibility around your existing career.
While many of the courses available are taught at the level 4 degree of difficulty, you can still be tripped up here. Not all training at this level provides the same high-credit value that demonstrates the amount of work achieved. At 120 credits for the full certificate, the Sport Management Certificate of Higher Education offers the equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree.
By offering credits directly comparable to a traditional undergraduate degree course, it’s easy for you and employers to see the extensive knowledge gained through the training. Each module also equates to 20 credits on its own, similar to many university modules. This means that even if you don’t complete all the modules, your level of knowledge is easily understood and compared.
By opting for the Cardiff Metropolitan University micro-credential pathway, you can achieve a widely recognised higher education qualification, demonstrating an advanced level of learning, without committing to a lengthy and expensive full degree course. Speaking of cost…
Pay as you go
There are many management training courses available, and we can’t deny that many are of a comparable quality, length, level and cost. What sets the Principles of Sport Management certificate apart from these is exactly what it says on the tin – it is focused specifically on how management theory can be applied in the sport and physical activity sector.
There are many management training courses available, and we can’t deny that many are of a comparable quality, length, level and cost. What sets the Principles of Sport Management certificate apart from these is exactly what it says on the tin – it is focused specifically on how management theory can be applied in the sport and physical activity sector.
This additional level of applicability ensures that you can use your learning in your role straight away. With the flexible learning allowing you to study alongside your current role, you can reap the benefits before finishing a single module – now that’s value for money.
You are also under no obligation to complete the full six modules and the Certificate of Higher Education. As you book and pay for each module individually, there is no need to commit to the full qualification – and you gain a recognised, high-level certificate upon completion of each learning unit. In breaking the course down into micro-credentials, the university allows managers to invest as much or as little as you need to top up your knowledge.
As a beginner, you may wish to benefit from the full scope of practical information the course offers, but perhaps, as a slightly more experienced manager, you’re looking to focus on a particular area of development. With the micro-credential learning pathway, the choice is yours and there is no need to pay for more than you need.
If you would like to gain the full Certificate of Higher Education, but think you’ve already covered some of the content elsewhere, Cardiff Metropolitan University is offering a solution to ensure the best value for your money. If you have prior qualifications and/or professional experience in any of the areas covered by the certificate, you may be able to have your prior learning assessed and recognised by the university and counted towards completion of the course. Managers are able to use this option for up to 50% of the full certificate, meaning that if you already have the knowledge, you can use it to gain a sector-recognised qualification without the study time.
Apply now
Why wait? Hopefully, we’ve made it clear that this is a great investment in your career development as a manager in the sport and physical activity sector. Though there are many brilliant management training opportunities out there, this one is able to offer you credibility, relevant sector knowledge and the ability to target specific development areas all in one flexible, cost-effective package. If you’d like to find out more about the micro-credential training opportunity, check out the resources below.
Find out more about the qualification
Listen to the micro-credentials podcast special
