UK Sport Press Release – Wednesday 30 April 2008
For immediate use

UK Sport is looking to recruit 13 new interns for the fifth year of its Fast-Track Practitioner Programme. From today, applications for the 13 internships are welcomed from practitioners working in nutrition, performance analysis, physiotherapy, physiology, psychology and strength and conditioning.

The Fast-Track Practitioner Programme is a partnership approach between UK Sport, the home country sports institutes, national governing bodies, the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association to accelerate the professional development of young practitioners who demonstrate the potential for employment within the high performance system, supporting Britain’s elite athletes to world class success.

This year’s 13 successful applicants will complete their internships within one of the home country sports institutes or at the Olympic Medical Institute, and will receive an overall package worth over £20,000 inclusive of salary, personal development allowance, developmental workshops and a workplace mentor. The internships, which start in October, last for 12 months and are funded by UK Sport and the respective partner organisation.

Each intern will take part in a challenging and innovative professional development programme consisting of a series of workshops held at various venues throughout the UK as well as receiving close on-the-job support from their suitably qualified mentor.

Liz Nicholl, UK Sport’s Director of Elite Sport said:
“If our world class goals for London 2012 are to be realised, our work must include supporting, with our national governing body and institute colleagues, the professional development of world class sport science and sports medicine practitioners.
“The Fast-Track Practitioner Programme is about doing just that - identifying young talented performers in crucial disciplines, and accelerating their ability to work competently with athletes in the high performance system. We look forward to recruiting the next intake of practitioners on to the programme to support our mission.”

Kirstie Moore, the English Institute of Sport’s (EIS) Regional Manager in the South West and Fast-Track Practitioner Programme Coordinator for the EIS, said:
“The intern programme is a well established opportunity for talented practitioners to develop their applied technical skills in a high performance sport environment. The EIS and other home country sports institutes work in partnership with UK Sport and national governing bodies to create a well rounded learning experience that offers individuals a fantastic foundation to their career development.
“Additionally, if offers the chance for the UK’s high performance system to train and develop practitioners that are able to deliver against the future needs of sports.”

Ian Pyper, a recent graduate of the Fast-Track Practitioner Programme, who is now working for the EIS as a strength and conditioning practitioner, said:
“The programme is unique and allows an array of experience to be gained both through the workshops and visits to other sporting organisations in this country and abroad.
“As a strength and conditioning intern, I was exposed on a daily basis to the high performance sporting environment as well as world class athletes, coaches and support staff. This provided me with a rare opportunity to learn from the best in the country.
“The Fast-Track Practitioner Programme is undoubtedly the best way to get a head start in your career if you want to work in elite sport.”

Chris White, a former performance analysis intern who is now a mentor for current interns based in the EIS, said:
"Back in 2004, the UK Sport internship provided the perfect platform for me to follow my aspirations of working in elite sport. I experienced a range of sporting environments, developed my technical skills and travelled to a number of major competitions. The workshops supported my learning and allowed focus on my personal skill set as well as networking with my fellow interns and colleagues which, as my career has progressed, has been fundamental.
“The strong relationship I developed with my mentor during my internship was integral to my success and this is one of the key factors I try to build on in my own mentoring today.
“In all, the programme has been one of the principle drivers in my career to date."

Sarah Craven, UK Sport’s Sport Medicine and Sport Science Coordinator said:
“The scheme is aimed at helping the participants get as much guidance and experience as possible at this early stage in their careers.
“We know that athletes need the best preparation if they are going to succeed at the highest level and this means having the top people around them. We aim to get these people off to the best possible start in their journey towards excellence.”

NOTES TO EDITORS
• To view specific job descriptions, please see www.uksport.gov.uk/vacancies
• Interview requests for former or current interns or UK Sport’s Sports Medicine and Sports Science team (Sarah Craven and Glenn Hunter), should be directed to: Jessica Whitehorn, Performance Communications Assistant, Jessica.Whitehorn@uksport.gov.uk, 0207 211 5174
• UK Sport is the nation’s high-performance sports agency. Its mission is to work in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world class success. Primarily this means working with partner sporting organisations to deliver medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It also has responsibility for activities best delivered at a UK level, such as: the nation’s anti-doping programme; bidding for and staging major sporting events in this country; increasing sporting activity and influence overseas; and promoting sporting conduct, ethics and diversity in society. UK Sport is funded by a mix of Government Exchequer and Lottery income.