Working fit?

The government has published its Get Britain Working white paper, outlining proposals to reform health and skills support to tackle economic inactivity. But what effect, if any, will the paper have for the sports and physical activity sector?

The government has published its Get Britain Working white paper, laying out its plans to support people into work and create an inclusive labour market in which “everybody can participate and progress in work”. At the heart of the plans is to bring down the number of people locked out of work due to long-term sickness, which currently stands at 2.8 million. In particular, the plans look to tackle youth unemployment. According to government figures for 2024, one in eight of young people are not in education, employment or training (so called “NEETs”), while 9 million adults “lack the basic skills they need to get on”.

“Behind the statistics are human stories played out time and again across the country,” the paper states. “These include young people with mental health problems waiting for treatment – or lacking the basic qualifications they need to get a job and kick-start their career – and people in their 50s and 60s struggling with chronic pain. There are also women who end up caring for elderly relatives with huge experience to offer employers, but who have far too few opportunities.

“This White Paper sets out a fundamentally different approach, alongside the detail of our plan for £240 million of investment. Rather than writing people off, our reforms target and tackle the root causes behind why people are not working, joining up help and support, based on the needs of local people and local places.”

The role of physical activity

One of the main aims of the white paper is to “fix the NHS”. This means cutting waiting lists so people can get back to health and back to work, as well as having a greater focus on preventing people becoming ill in the first place. This is an area in which the sport and physical activity sector can play a role – by getting more people to get more active and to exercise regularly. Another is around tackling the “NEETs”. Here, the government has outlined plans to deliver a Youth Guarantee, so that all 18 to 21-year-olds in England have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship. The government recognises the role that the sector can play in the paper. “Sports play a vital role in our society and economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributing to growth, as well as giving joy to millions,” the paper reads. “Many national and local organisations already do inspiring work with disadvantaged young people, offering opportunities to build their skills and confidence and pathways into experiences, qualifications and jobs.

Sport and physical activity offer pathways to skills, confidence, and careers for disadvantaged youth

“We believe all young people deserve the opportunity to thrive and that sports are crucial to achieving this goal. Therefore, government will work in partnership with organisations at the national and local level to join up, enhance and champion their efforts as part of our new Youth Guarantee. Our first partnerships will be developed with Channel 4 and leading sports organisations including the Premier League.”

The sector’s reaction

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) published a detailed response to the white paper, exploring the role that the sports and physical activity sector can play in helping the government reach its ambitions. CIMSPA Chief Strategy Officer, Spencer Moore, said that the sector’s workforce would be integral to achieving the aims set out in the white paper – especially when it comes to young people.

“Our sector offers a range of career opportunities that appeal to young people and sport and physical activity can be a great conduit to re-engaging young people that are not in learning, training or work,” he says.

“Often these young people have become disillusioned with academic learning and have been unable to find a place to utilise and develop their skills. Sport and physical activity can be a means to them developing their confidence and resilience, building other valuable skills such as communication and team work, and providing a positive purpose.

“Organisations like StreetGames offer young people in challenging circumstances and who may not be engaging with learning or work, the opportunity to develop their skills, improve their wellbeing and become more engaged through their informal community sports initiatives. This type of work is integral to getting those young people who are NEET to re-engage ahead of progressing into learning, training and work.

Tackling long-term sickness and NEET youth is key to building an inclusive labour market

“And careers in our sector present fantastic opportunities for young people. Over 30% of roles in our sector are carried out by people under the age of 25. Our sector provides skills in communication, customer service, teamwork and many other transferable areas that serve people throughout their careers whether they remain in our sector or choose to build a career elsewhere.

“When we talk to young people working in our sector about their role and what they enjoy, there are a number of themes, some obvious like flexible hours (which can fit with learning), being part of a team, others that aren’t like being a role model, helping people and giving back to their community. All of these factors are why the Youth Guarantee should look to our sector and organisations like Coach Core who are creating apprenticeship and job opportunities for young people who have struggled to find a place to develop their skills and start a career.”

Fixing the NHS

According to Moore, another area in which the sector will play a crucial role is supporting people with health conditions and disabilities. “There are great examples of where organisations in our sector are working with healthcare professionals to help people with health conditions to recover, become more active and subsequently be able to move into employment or training,” he says.

“Organisations like Sport for Confidence, who are working collaboratively with stakeholders across our sector and health care professionals to use physical activity to help people overcome barriers to doing life activities, including work.

“The white paper also announces an independent review that will look at how organisations can be supported to recruit and develop employees with health conditions and disabilities. Again, our sector has a key role to play in this work with physical activity provision that meets the needs for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions through the professional standards for working inclusively, working with inactive people and working with people with long-term conditions.

“It’s also important that the government doesn’t forget that absence rates in working people are at 2.6%, the highest in almost 20 years. In some sectors and areas of the UK, the rate is considerably higher. With long-term sickness absence not only impacting employers but often leading to periods of economic inactivity, as part of its policy, government must enable our sector to support employers to improve the active wellbeing of their staff and intervene where possible with employees that do become unwell.”

Physical activity can drive health recovery and re-engage people into work or training

Political will - is it there?

The white paper accompanies plans released for Skills England, the 10-Year Plan for Health, the Autumn Budget and Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy. Together, the documents provide a detailed direction of travel that the Labour government intends to take in rejuvenating the UK and its economic prospects.

While the Autumn Budget failed to provide crucial detail about the significant role sport, recreation and physical activity can play in driving a healthier and more productive and prosperous nation, it doesn’t mean that the role isn’t there. Indeed, the white paper can go some way in identifying some of the elements of that role. More, however, can – and needs – to be done.

When the current government was in opposition, it offered plenty of signs that it “got” physical activity and was prepared to work with the sector to utilise it in measures to both improve public health and to boost the economy. These included the Healthier Britain report, which called for an entirely new wellbeing policy to be adopted, in which health and wellbeing would be at the heart of all policymaking. In the report, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said government departments should work much more closely together – as well as partner with local authorities, businesses, physical activity organisations and other entities – to create a healthier nation.

Published by The Fabian Society, the report made the case that, just as it has become commonplace to evaluate policy through a ‘green lens’ to determine environmental sustainability, a ‘health and wellbeing lens’ should also be applied during decision making.

“By adopting a comprehensive strategy towards improving the health and wellbeing of the country and its citizens, Labour can offer a fresh and positive vision for Britain’s future,” Leadbeater said in the report, adding: “where prevention and early intervention take priority; and where investing time, energy and resources in people’s health and wellbeing helps them as individuals, supports families, communities and businesses and helps us all become more prosperous, more productive and happier.”

At the time, Leadbeater received a warm response from the physical activity sector. Perhaps it is now time for her government to deliver on the vision outlined in the report.