Britain’s impending withdrawal from the European Union will present a broad range of challenges for leisure training and qualifications, says one of the sector’s leading education figures.

Active IQ managing director Jenny Patrickson believes Brexit will have far-reaching implications for further education and says that the active leisure sector must ensure it retains strong ties with European partners despite the outcome of last week’s vote.

Bodies like EuropeActive will be vital in ensuring that the recognition and transferability of qualifications across borders will continue, says Patrickson. She added that maintaining the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) – a translation device which makes national qualifications more readable across Europe – will be key to continuing the promotion of physical activity and its associated health benefits for individuals from all nations, regardless of borders.”

Amid warnings this week that Brexit could hit the UK’s education sector by making it harder for international students to obtain visas, Patrickson said training providers and colleges may also find it harder to access central European funding.

“In other areas of further education, it is too soon to fully understand the longer term implications for the FE sector. However, many institutions rely on funding from the European Social Fund, with organisations currently bidding for those contracts,” she told Health Club Management.

“Presumably the suggested withdrawal period of two years will not affect current ESF funding, however this is nevertheless another area of uncertainty for the future. Training providers and colleges will certainly be keen to understand potential implications for funding moving forwards.”

In the physical activity sector, there is currently much focus on how the industry can increase both the scale and quality of its apprenticeship schemes. To that end, CIMSPA has been working with a range of leading employers to improve physical activity sector apprenticeship standards through the Trailblazer initiative.

Furthermore, the organisation has been encouraging operators to explore the potential of the

government’s new apprenticeship levy as they brace themselves for increased wage bills from the new National Living Wage, which came into effect in April.

Patrickson says there may now be debate over whether the apprenticeship levy should start in April 2017 as planned, given the existing uncertainty surrounding the scheme, compounded by the outcome of the referendum. But she added that concerns over workforce eligibility and skills shortages could make apprenticeships an even more important piece of the education puzzle.

“Others will argue that, now more than ever, it is essential to drive apprenticeship growth, to ensure that England has the skilled workforce it needs in all areas of industry, with a view that the levy will be instrumental in achieving this,” said Patrickson.