The Sheffield College, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, is a further and higher education college in Yorkshire that provides academic, vocational, technical and professional qualifications to approximately 13,000 young people and adults a year. By becoming a R66T Academy Partnership School, the college is hoping to raise the awareness, participation and development of cricket within college-aged students across Sheffield.
Through its partnership with The R66T Academy, The Sheffield College will initially offer one training session per week during its winter training programme, alongside accessible strength and conditioning sessions. Meanwhile, in the summer months, the college will continue the training offer, whilst also incorporating matchdays.
Looking ahead to the future - after hosting a recruitment drive - the college is hoping to run bespoke education programmes, delivered to learners involved in the academy. This will allow them to build up the training and matchday offers, with the hope of incorporating overseas trips as well.
The R66T Academy will be providing the high-level coaching behind The Sheffield College's cricket programme, enabling participants to develop at a further rate than previously available to them. The R66T Academy will be providing unique links into the cricketing world to enhance the quality of the provision.
Speaking about the partnership with The R66T Academy, Ed Kinsey, Curriculum Manager (Fitness & Life Sciences) at The Sheffield College, said: "We are extremely excited about the opportunities and developments arising from entering into partnership with The R66T Academy. The R66T Academy shares the same vision as The Sheffield College with regard to the expansion of a cricketing offer in the Sheffield region.
"This partnership will allow a high-quality cricket provision to become accessible to the students of The Sheffield College, allowing our students to further their sporting development through tailored training sessions and competitive fixtures, all whilst studying for their future career.
"As The Sheffield College continue to build their Elite Sports offer, the R66T Academy will be instrumental in providing expertise in the field of cricket, with overseas training camps and tours on the horizon."
Meanwhile, Nick Gaywood, R66T Academy Project Manager, added: "We are absolutely delighted that The Sheffield College has become a R66T Academy Partnership School in Billy and Joe Root’s home city.
“The R66T Academy is looking forward to working closely with the College to develop a high class cricket academy to support the development of cricket in the South Yorkshire region.”
This initiative is part of the college’s wider award-winning employer skills academies (ESA) programme that helps students get the skills, sector knowledge, practical experience and qualifications to go further in their careers. Employers provide students with sector knowledge and expertise via masterclasses, projects, workplace or industry relevant visits and placements to enhance students’ employability skills.
As part of the ESA programme, the Elite Sports Academy is designed to provide students with an opportunity to build their confidence, resilience and understanding of how their technical skills will be put to the test when working with athletes and sports teams.
Visit www.sheffcol.ac.uk to find out more about courses and upcoming open days.
