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L2Apprenticeship4142 approved providers
The Level 2 Leisure Team Member, and the 2 providers delivering it.
Support, enhance and deliver the day to day operations and services of a leisure or fitness facility.
About this apprenticeship
What this apprenticeship covers
Apprentices learn to support the daily running of a leisure or fitness facility, covering customer service, health and safety procedures, and facility operations. Responsibilities include maintaining equipment, supporting fitness activities, monitoring pool or gym areas, and responding to member needs. Training covers safeguarding, emergency procedures, and basic fitness knowledge, giving apprentices the practical grounding needed to work confidently across different areas of a leisure centre or sports facility.
Day-to-day responsibilities
A typical week involves opening or closing the facility, carrying out safety checks on equipment and pool areas, assisting members with queries, and supporting classes or supervised sessions. Apprentices may lifeguard, supervise gym floors, clean and maintain equipment, and log incidents or maintenance issues. They work alongside team leaders and senior staff, following site-specific procedures and health and safety legislation throughout their shift.
Career outlook
Completing this apprenticeship opens roles such as Fitness Instructor, Leisure Attendant, Pool Lifeguard Supervisor, or Gym Receptionist. Many progress into Level 3 apprenticeships covering personal training or leisure management. Employers include local authority leisure centres, private gym chains, hotel and resort facilities, universities, and community sports centres. The sector offers stable demand for qualified staff, particularly in facilities that combine swimming pools, gyms, and group exercise programmes under one roof.
2 approved providers
Sorted by achievement rate.
City College Plymouth
City College Plymouth is a further education college offering a wide range of apprenticeship and voc...
ActivFirst
ActivFirst Training is a fast-growing education and training provider specialising in government-fun...
Career outcomes
Roles after completion
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads to positions such as Leisure Assistant, Fitness Instructor, Gym Floor Supervisor, Swimming Pool Attendant, or Recreation Assistant. Some completers move directly into duty management cover on a casual or relief basis, depending on the facility's size. Those with additional qualifications gained during the programme, such as pool plant operator or lifeguard awards, may take on more specialised operational roles within the same organisation.
Progression paths
Within three to five years, many people progress to Leisure Duty Manager, Fitness Team Leader, or Senior Recreation Assistant, often supported by a Level 3 apprenticeship in leisure management or a fitness-specific qualification. The leadership track tends to lead toward Centre Manager or Operations Manager roles. The specialist track runs toward personal training, exercise referral, or aquatics coordination. Both paths are well-established in this sector, and internal promotion is common in larger facilities.
Where these roles sit
Local authority leisure trusts and charitable leisure operators account for a large share of entry-level hiring in this sector, alongside private gym chains, hotel and resort leisure facilities, and university sport centres. Holiday parks, outdoor activity centres, and community sports hubs also recruit at this level. The public and charitable sectors dominate, though private fitness operators have expanded considerably and offer structured progression for staff who demonstrate reliability and customer service skills.
How it's assessed
How the apprenticeship is assessed
Learning takes place on the job, with the apprentice developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to support and deliver operations in a leisure or fitness facility. Before final assessment, there is a readiness check, commonly called the gateway, where the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice is ready to be assessed. Final assessment then confirms that the apprentice can perform competently in the role. Assessment models across many standards are currently being updated as part of ongoing reforms, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
What learners need to prepare
Building a record of workplace activity throughout the apprenticeship is more manageable than trying to gather evidence at the end. Learners should keep notes on the tasks they carry out, the decisions they make and the situations they handle, whether that is maintaining facility safety, supporting customers or assisting with daily operations. Working closely with both the employer and training provider from an early stage helps ensure the evidence collected reflects the full range of the role's requirements when the gateway review comes around.
Choosing a provider
What good looks like
Look for providers with an achievement rate above 65% on their FATP profile; above 75% is a strong signal for a standard at this level. Employer satisfaction scores matter here because the day-to-day delivery depends heavily on workplace mentoring and facility access. Providers who work regularly with leisure trusts, local authority facilities, or private gym operators will understand the shift-based environment and the mix of customer-facing duties, pool supervision, and equipment induction that this role involves. Check learner reviews for comments on how well off-the-job training fitted around operational rotas.
Red flags to watch for
Be cautious if a provider has high enrolment numbers but a falling achievement rate, which can indicate weak pastoral support for shift workers who are harder to retain. Vague answers about how they assess practical skills, such as pool safety procedures or first aid competency, should prompt further questions. Providers who deliver this standard alongside a very wide range of unrelated sectors may lack the facility-specific knowledge needed to make the training credible. Opaque cohort sizes or reluctance to share employer satisfaction scores are also worth probing.
Questions to ask before you commit
- What leisure or fitness facilities do your current employers operate, and are they similar to ours?
- How do you schedule off-the-job training hours to accommodate variable shift patterns?
- How do you assess practical skills, including pool supervision or gym floor duties, rather than just written work?
- What first aid and health and safety qualifications are embedded in the programme, and are they current?
- What is your achievement rate for this standard, and how has it changed over the past two years?
- Can you connect us with an employer already using you for this apprenticeship?
- How do you support apprentices who fall behind due to rota changes or seasonal demand?
Common questions
What are the entry requirements for the Leisure Team Member apprenticeship?
There are no nationally set entry qualifications, but most employers expect candidates to hold GCSEs in English and maths at grade 3 or above, or equivalent. You must be employed in a relevant leisure or fitness role for the duration of the programme. If you do not already hold a Level 2 English and maths qualification, you will be expected to achieve Functional Skills at Level 1 and work towards Level 2 during the apprenticeship.
How long does the apprenticeship take and how is study time arranged?
The typical duration is 18 months, though this can vary depending on prior experience and the pace of progress. Apprentices remain employed throughout and complete learning alongside their normal duties. A portion of contracted working hours must be dedicated to off-the-job training, such as workshops, coaching, and skills practice. The exact minimum requirements are subject to ongoing reform, so check the current specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website for up-to-date figures.
How is the Leisure Team Member apprenticeship assessed?
Before taking the final assessment, the apprentice must pass through a gateway, where the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice has met all knowledge, skills and behaviour requirements. Assessment methods for many standards are currently being reviewed as part of Skills England reforms. The specific end-point assessment approach for this standard is detailed on the gov.uk apprenticeship standard page, which should be checked for the current requirements before enrolment.
How do employers pay for this apprenticeship?
The funding band for this standard is £5,000, which is the maximum that can be drawn from government funding. Larger employers with an apprenticeship levy account use those funds directly. Smaller employers without a levy account pay just 5% of the training cost, with the government covering the remaining 95%. If you are a small employer taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18, the training is fully funded by the government at no cost to you.
What does a Leisure Team Member apprentice actually do at work?
Day-to-day tasks typically include supervising pool or gym areas, setting up and clearing equipment, delivering fitness classes or activity sessions, carrying out safety checks, and providing customer assistance. Apprentices also handle reception duties, respond to facility emergencies following set procedures, and support the general running of the site. The exact mix of tasks depends on whether the employer operates a swimming pool, gym, sports hall or a combination of facilities.
Where can a Leisure Team Member apprentice progress after completing the programme?
Completing this apprenticeship puts you in a strong position to move into supervisory or specialist roles within leisure, fitness or sport. Common next steps include progressing to a Level 3 apprenticeship such as Leisure Duty Manager or a personal training qualification. Some apprentices move into specialist coaching, lifeguard instruction, or community sport development. Employers in the leisure sector often promote from within, so completing at Level 2 can be a practical route into team leader or assistant manager positions.
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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: 414.
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.