Local skills work supports community wellbeing

Oxford Brookes University students are gaining skills and experience in working with people with long-term health conditions in line with Oxfordshire plan

This year, as part of our local skills work within our strategy, we launched a local skills plan for sport and physical activity in Oxfordshire alongside local employers, education providers, local authorities, the health sector and employability-focused organisations.

Developed by the Oxfordshire Local Skills Accountability Board (LSAB), the plan identifies key skills improvements, workforce challenges and priorities for local sport and physical activity, as well as recommendations and actions to shape future work in the area.

Explore local skills work

LSP_Ox Article Rec3.png In Oxfordshire, health is high on the agenda – 137,000 people in Oxfordshire are currently living with two or more long-term conditions. The region also has an ageing population – 121,000 people are aged over 65, with 20,000 older people experiencing loneliness. All of these demographics are less likely to get the recommended levels of physical activity, an issue the local board intends to tackle head on.

One of the key recommendations of the plan is to “boost wellbeing: support the improvement of the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the people of Oxfordshire through sport and physical activity”. Within its scope, the local board intends to establish better working relationships between the health sector and sport and physical activity sector. The local employers, education providers and health-sector stakeholders will be carrying out a range of initiatives over the coming years of the plan’s scope to improve connectivity and leverage the complementary skillsets of the sectors’ professionals.

Read local skills plan

One member of the Oxfordshire LSAB already taking action on this front is CIMSPA Higher Education Partner Oxford Brookes University. To address the health challenges prominent in the county, the education institution, which recently completed the CIMSPA quality assurance review to gain Enhancing status, is collaborating with local organisations and charities to better target its course offering.

Through this partnership, students completing the university’s BSc (Hons) Sport, Physical Activity and Health Promotion degree have the opportunity to specialise in working with people with long-term conditions and the occupation of health navigator, equipping them with the knowledge and practical experience to support vulnerable populations effectively.

Professional standards

Health Navigator and Working with People with Long-Term Conditions are examples of the sector’s employer-led professional standards managed by CIMSPA.

Decided by employers and experts, each standard is a framework of the knowledge and skills required to work in a given role or environment, or with a specific population group.

Education providers are able to align their curricula with professional standards – providing learners with the competencies specifically required by real employers and boosting their employability.

Explore professional standards

Practical experience

Dr Andrew Mitchelmore, Senior Lecturer in Health and Exercise Physiology, described what this specialisation means for undergraduate students:

Oxford Brookes students 1.png “One of the more recent additions to our undergraduate provision is the opportunity for students to work with visitors to our rehabilitation suite who are living with a range of long-term health conditions. In Semester 1, we offered fortnightly sessions embedded into modules, followed by weekly sessions in Semester 2.

“Regular visitors to the university include individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, cancer, stroke, traumatic brain injury and Friedreich’s ataxia. This provides students with supervised, hands-on opportunities to learn about the real, lived experiences of those managing long-term conditions, while also offering free, supervised rehabilitation opportunities for members of the community.”

Paul, a regular visitor, enjoys the support he receives in remaining active since his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis:

“The students are all wonderful and very proactive in taking me through various exercise sessions. I get a lot out of it with such delightful young students – they even wheeled out a rowing machine for me to try, which is great because I need more aerobic exercise that doesn’t require me to support my body weight. They are absolutely delightful and very professional in their approach.”

Oxford Brookes students 2.png

Beyond campus, Oxford Brookes students have also gained valuable experience by observing and supporting community-based programmes for individuals with multiple sclerosis, cardiac conditions, stroke, traumatic brain injury and frailty with falls risk. The feedback from both students and programme providers has been overwhelmingly positive, and the university are delighted that the partnerships they have developed are so mutually beneficial.

Clare Dunn, CIMSPA Associate Director, comments on Oxford Brookes University’s success:

“It’s fantastic to see our Oxfordshire local skills plan coming to life, with sector stakeholders in the region coming together to equip young people with skills and experience in demand by employers.

“The partnership that Oxford Brookes has established is also a win for Oxfordshire as a whole – with more sport and physical activity professionals in the region equipped to support those with long-term health conditions in getting active, local residents are benefiting from improved health and wellbeing.”

Future plans

Oxford Brookes are now working towards expanding the students’ work experience opportunity to include individuals undergoing cardiac rehabilitation. The university’s collaboration with the NHS cardiac rehabilitation team has resulted from the positive feedback received on the current student sessions. This initiative will further enhance both connectivity between the sport and physical activity sector and health sector as well as the work-readiness of young people upon completing sector qualifications.

Kit Cutter, Senior Lecturer and Employability Lead for Sport and Coaching Sciences at the university, sees how Oxford Brookes’ work benefits both students and the local community:

“This initiative aligns with the local skills plan recommendations by enhancing the professional development of our undergraduate students working towards their Health Navigator and Working with People with Long Term Health Conditions qualifications. Not only are these students making a meaningful contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people living with long-term conditions in Oxfordshire each week, but the knowledge, skills, and experience gained through this provision ensure that Oxford Brookes graduates are work-ready practitioners. As a result, we are strengthening career pathways into the sector while positively impacting our local community.”

With a wide range of organisations contributing to the local skills accountability board and its recently launched local skills plans, there are plenty of opportunities for more initiatives like this to come to fruition.

Opportunities in Oxfordshire

Alongside other members of the Oxfordshire Local Skills Accountability Board (LSAB), Oxford Brookes University is actively working to expand students’ work experience opportunities in sport and physical activity. If you are a healthcare provider or service user in the area, we encourage you to get in touch. These future partnerships will strengthen connections between the sport, physical activity, and health sectors to boost careers and wellbeing in Oxfordshire.

Find out about the Oxfordshire LSAB

Contact Oxford Brookes