ISPAL is keen to engage with the future professionals in sport, parks and leisure as early as possible.

There are an increasing number of universities offering courses with material that is fundamental to the work of ISPAL and its membership.

An accreditation system for university courses has already been proposed; this would ensure universities engage with the industry, while giving industry representatives a chance to influence the professional development integral to such courses.

The system proposed would involve universities submitting an initial application, which would ensure courses contained relevant and up-to-date content that aligned with industry standards. External verification would also be used to ensure ISPAL always took an objective view.

The ultimate goal will be to develop a professional qualification that can be delivered to undergraduates by university staff. In this way ISPAL would be contributing to the development of graduates by helping universities prepare them for the world of work with relevant and meaningful courses.