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L3Apprenticeship2513 approved providers
The Level 3 Community Sport And Health Officer, and the 3 providers delivering it.
Engaging people in sport and physical activity across local communities.
About this apprenticeship
What this apprenticeship covers
This apprenticeship prepares someone to plan, promote, and deliver sport and physical activity programmes within local communities. Apprentices develop skills in engaging diverse groups, including people who face barriers to participation such as inactivity, age, or health conditions. They learn to work with partners and stakeholders, use data to understand community needs, and evaluate the impact of activities. Safeguarding, inclusive practice, and basic health and wellbeing principles run through the programme alongside practical delivery skills.
Day-to-day responsibilities
A typical week might involve leading a group activity session, supporting a colleague in running a community sports event, or contacting local organisations to build referral pathways. Apprentices keep records of participation and outcomes, help with promotional materials, and liaise with coaches, health workers, or local authority staff. They may work across several venues or community settings and are likely to support both planned programmes and one-off activities depending on the employer's delivery model.
Career outlook
Completing this apprenticeship opens doors to roles such as community sport development officer, physical activity coordinator, health and wellbeing officer, or sports outreach worker. Employers include local authorities, leisure trusts, national governing bodies of sport, NHS social prescribing programmes, and charities focused on physical and mental health. With experience, progression into project management, strategic development, or specialist health referral roles is common. Some completers go on to study foundation degrees or higher apprenticeships in sport, exercise, or public health.
3 approved providers
Sorted by achievement rate.
AC Training
Employer: 4.0
AC Training (a trading name of Always Consult Ltd.) is a professional training provider specialising...
ActivFirst
ActivFirst Training is a fast-growing education and training provider specialising in government-fun...
Access Creative College
Access Creative College is a national independent training provider specialising in creative educati...
Career outcomes
Roles after completion
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads into roles such as Community Sport Officer, Health and Wellbeing Officer, Physical Activity Coordinator, or Sport Development Officer. Some completers move into delivery-focused posts like Fitness Instructor or Group Exercise Leader, particularly where their employer runs activity programmes directly. Others take up roles with a coordination remit, managing volunteers and organising local sport sessions across a defined area or neighbourhood.
Progression paths
With three to five years of experience, officers often progress to Senior Sport Development Officer, Community Health Programme Manager, or Physical Activity Lead. Those who move into strategy and commissioning can reach roles such as Sport Development Manager or Public Health Partnerships Manager. A deep-specialist track exists in areas like disability sport, mental health and physical activity, or sport for older adults, where practitioners build significant subject expertise rather than taking on wider management responsibilities.
Where these roles sit
Local authorities are the most consistent hirers, typically within leisure, public health, or sport development teams. National governing bodies of sport and county sports partnerships recruit at this level, as do NHS trusts and integrated care boards where sport and physical activity link into prevention agendas. Charities, housing associations, and social enterprises running community wellbeing programmes also employ people in these roles, particularly in urban areas with targeted health inequality programmes.
How it's assessed
How the apprenticeship is assessed
Throughout the apprenticeship, the learner works in a community sport or health setting while building the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for the role. This includes understanding how to engage different groups in physical activity, working with local partners, and supporting health outcomes in the community. Before final assessment, the apprentice and employer confirm readiness through a gateway stage, which typically involves reviewing the evidence gathered during the programme. Final assessment then confirms that the apprentice can perform the role competently. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated, so check the current specification on the standard's gov.uk page.
What learners need to prepare
Building a strong body of evidence from real work is the most important thing a learner can do throughout the apprenticeship. That means keeping records of community sessions delivered, partnerships developed, and any health engagement activity, rather than trying to gather everything at the end. Regular conversations with the employer and training provider about progress and readiness will help identify any gaps early. Learners should treat everyday workplace activity as a source of evidence and document it consistently as they go.
Choosing a provider
What good looks like
Look for providers with an achievement rate above 65% on their FATP profile, ideally higher, and check both employer and apprentice satisfaction scores. For this standard, the quality of industry placement experience matters more than classroom hours: a strong provider will have established partnerships with leisure trusts, local authorities, sports clubs, or community health organisations where apprentices work on real delivery. Ask whether the provider's trainers have recent, direct experience in community sport or physical activity programming, not just generic health and social care backgrounds.
Red flags to watch for
Be cautious if a provider has a high volume of apprentices enrolled but a declining achievement rate, which often signals stretched support. Providers who can't clearly describe what community settings their apprentices work in, or who rely heavily on generic health qualifications mapped loosely to this standard, are worth scrutinising. Vague answers about how the programme covers behaviour change, community engagement, or working with inactive populations suggest the curriculum may not be calibrated to this standard specifically.
Questions to ask before you commit
- What community sport or physical activity organisations have your apprentices been placed with, and can we speak to any of them?
- How do you cover behaviour change techniques and engaging hard-to-reach groups, and which sessions are practical versus classroom-based?
- What is your current achievement rate for this standard, and how has it changed over the last two years?
- How do you support apprentices who are working across evenings and weekends, which is common in this sector?
- What does off-the-job training look like in practice, given the community-facing nature of this role?
- How many apprentices do you currently have on this standard, and what is the typical cohort size?
Common questions
What are the entry requirements for this apprenticeship?
Employers set their own entry criteria, but candidates typically need good literacy and numeracy skills. Some providers ask for GCSEs in English and Maths at grade 4 or above, though equivalent qualifications are often accepted. Relevant experience in sport, fitness, or community work is useful but not always required. If English or Maths qualifications are not already held, the apprentice will need to achieve Functional Skills at Level 2 before completing the programme.
How long does the apprenticeship take and how is learning structured?
The typical duration is 16 months, though the actual time depends on the apprentice's prior experience and progress. The apprentice remains employed throughout, applying their learning directly in a community sport or health setting. A portion of contracted hours is spent on off-the-job training, the exact percentage is subject to current Skills England reforms, so check the latest specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website for up-to-date requirements.
How is the apprentice assessed at the end?
Before moving to end-point assessment, the apprentice must pass through gateway, where the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice has met all the required knowledge, skills, and behaviour standards. Assessment models for many standards are currently being reviewed, so visit the gov.uk apprenticeship standard page for the current end-point assessment method. The assessment will require the apprentice to demonstrate competence in engaging communities in sport and physical activity.
How does an employer pay for this apprenticeship?
The funding band for this standard is £9,000, which is the maximum that can be drawn from the apprenticeship levy or paid under co-investment. Levy-paying employers use their digital levy account to cover costs. Non-levy employers pay 5% of the funding band, with the government contributing the rest. Employers with fewer than 50 staff taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 pay nothing. Costs are paid to the training provider, not in a lump sum but spread across the apprenticeship.
What does a Community Sport and Health Officer apprentice do day to day?
The role centres on encouraging people in local communities to take part in sport and physical activity, particularly those who face barriers to participation. Day-to-day work includes planning and delivering sessions, building relationships with community groups, local authorities, and health organisations, and recording participation data. Apprentices may work with older adults, young people, or specific health groups, depending on the employer, which could be a leisure trust, sports club, local authority, or charity.
What can an apprentice do after completing this qualification?
Completing this apprenticeship opens routes into more senior community sport or health development roles. Some progress into coaching qualifications or specialist health and wellbeing programmes. Others move towards management positions within leisure trusts, national governing bodies, or local authority sport teams. The Level 3 qualification can also support applications to higher education courses in sports development, public health, or physical activity. Employers often retain completers in permanent positions, given the community relationships built during the apprenticeship.
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Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 251.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.