THE sporting champions of tomorrow are being given a start by North Hertfordshire College. In partnership with Cambridge Regional College, the college has been awarded Centre for Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status in sports and fitness coaching. Over the

THE sporting champions of tomorrow are being given a start by North Hertfordshire College.

In partnership with Cambridge Regional College, the college has been awarded Centre for Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status in sports and fitness coaching.

Over the next three years, each college will be given up to £250,000 from the Learning and Skills Council to invest in upgrading facilities and equipment, developing new training programmes and good practice.

More than 360 students in Comet country will benefit.

Keith Allinson, head of sports at North Hertfordshire College, said: "We are now central to both Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Learning and Skills Councils' task of improving skills for employment and national competitiveness in this sector."

College principal Fintan Donohue said: "Sports health and wellbeing is central to our strategy for raising the skills and employability of learners across our region.

"Creating exceptional training facilities in collaboration with Sport England and our community sports network is a key element of our CoVE objectives. The CoVE itself brings the college into a dynamic and innovative network of private and further education providers across the UK."

He added: "The launch of the CoVE in collaboration with CRC marks the beginning of an exciting new phase of development for North Hertfordshire College. We look forward to working with partners across our region on the agenda for excellence in sport."

Tony Galvin from the Learning and Skills Council said: "When an area of provision such as sport and fitness attains CoVE status it means that it is able to develop new, specialist provision that will be focused on meeting skills needs of employers locally, regionally and nationally.

"The aim of this CoVE is to produce appropriately qualified and skilled workers with excellent employment and career prospects which meet the needs of a modern economy."

SkillsActive's regional manager Stuart Wilson said: "This comes at an exciting time for the sector in the east and represents a fantastic opportunity for employers and individuals who will receive dedicated and tailored course provision.

"We look forward to working with the new CoVE to ensure that the needs of the employers in our sector are being met."

Mark Cortnage studied for his foundation degree at North Hertfordshire College and has been running a successful local personal training company for four years.

He said: "There is an ever increasing demand for qualified sports-based coaching but until now there has been no discernable centre for offering coaching techniques and certification in this area.

"The benefits this status will bring to individuals as well as Hertfordshire are obvious."

Working closely with the college is AVC Sports Management.

Roger Gochin, director of AVC Communities, said: "Increased take up of sport, lifelong participation in sport, and a healthier lifestyle for our communities will come about from increasing both the number and quality of those working at all levels in the sport and health arena. The college CoVE gives us those standards and we are keen to see it go from strength to strength.