For anyone considering a career in the leisure industry, the news is good. Job prospects have never been better - indeed there are shortages of personnel right across the board, according to Roddy Gaynor, who is director of ILAM, the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management. "At this stage," he says, "we just can't get staff."
Over the last five years, the number of leisure clubs has mushroomed. "In 1994, there were 75 hotels with leisure clubs attached. Today there are 140 and there has also been considerable growth in private leisure clubs." The leisure facilities' sector now employs up to 5,000 people and boasts an annual turnover of £100 million. In Dublin alone, 20,000 new leisure club memberships have been taken out in the last two years. "This figure will double in the next two years, because of new facilities coming on stream," Gaynor says. Traditionally, Irish participation levels in sports and fitness have been relatively low, he notes, "but we are catching up. In Britain, a lot of clubs have joined forces and you now have chains of facilities".
All the signs are that the industry is coming of age. "Up to three years ago, we had Cinderella status," comments Roddy Gaynor, "now we're moving centre stage." He points to the fact that sport now boasts a full Government Minister rather than a Minister of State. He also points to the establishment of the Irish Sports Council and to increased Government expenditure in the area. "This year, the Government is spending £45 million on public pool refurbishment, £7 million on a national 50-metre pool in Limerick and £10 million on the annual sports capital grant programme," he says.
ILAM, too, has published operation standards for the industry. "It's a voluntary code of practice which will have its own accreditation scheme," he explains. Formal qualifications have become essential in the sector in recent years. There are currently up to 2,500 students of sport and leisure, taking courses of two or more years' duration, according to Gaynor. A number of third-level institutions are offering certificate, diploma and even degree programmes in leisure management. At PLC level, too, there is a vast range of courses available, including sport and recreational studies and fitness and leisure management. In addition, there is a number of professional instruction programmes; while aromatherapy, reflexology and sports massage are other areas in which opportunities are growing.
Routes into the sector vary. Some people start off by taking instruction courses - in fitness or life-saving, for example - others follow national certificate and diploma courses in recreational management and top these up with instruction courses, Roddy Gaynor says.
Because of the content of many of these courses, students gain a wide range of skills and are able to move out of the industry with ease, he notes. In the past, people with a national diploma in leisure management and two years' experience in the industry, could advance to a supervisory level. Nowadays, however, because of staff shortages, people are going straight into supervisory roles.
Salaries in the sector have greatly improved in the last two years. Diploma holders can expect to start at around £11,500-£12,000 per annum, rising to £14,00-£16,000 for an assistant manager and £20,000-£22,000 for the manager of a hotel leisure club, according to ILAM's director.
If you are considering a career in the leisure industry, ILAM is a good place to start. Its booklet, Careers and Courses in Leisure . . . Finding Your Way, offers a wealth of information and advice. "While an interest in sport is of benefit, students should have a realistic outlook on what they become involved in," ILAM warns. "A course designed to lead to a career in management will emphasise the academic side to a greater degree." From the industry's point of view, courses which include work experience, are more valuable.
