Sport For Confidence to deliver workforce development project

Sport for Confidence (SfC) has secured funding to deliver a workforce development programme to help people in Essex live healthy lives.

The investment, secured through Essex County Council’s Public Health Accelerator Bid (PHAB), will enable SfC to deliver the Essex Learning Arena (ELA), designed to support frontline professionals across various sectors to embed goal-oriented physical activity into their everyday practice.

It is hoped that the initiative will enhance the quality of life for individuals living with long-term health conditions and disabilities.

The ELA builds on the success of the Essex Prevention and Enablement Model (EPEM), a two-year pilot focused on improving health outcomes through physical activity. It demonstrated the necessity and effectiveness of a whole-system, preventative approach to utilising physical activity for health improvements.

An independent evaluation by University of Essex suggested that every £1 invested in EPEM could generate £58.72 in social value.

The evaluation concluded that the return could be even greater, if knowledge, skills and capacity were extended across the Essex workforce – a gap the ELA is designed to fill.