Career Support

The Athlete Career Development Programme

The Institute’s Athlete Career Development Programme provides career management support to high performance athletes. This support typically involves athletes who are managing part time employment and a full career as a high performance athlete. Since its inception in 2008, over 70 athletes have accessed this support service. The programme works by offering athletes 1-2-1 and workshop support designed to develop the following career management skills:

1.       Career Planning

Planning is a critical life skill for every athlete as they overcome predictable and non predictable changes in their athlete career. The Athlete Career Development Programme helps athletes to develop their planning capability in order to ensure that their athlete career blends with an appropriate and flexible form of part time employment. This helps athletes to positively switch off and recover from their training and competition whilst ensuring that they can make a smooth transition into full time employment after their sports career.

2.       Career Support Negotiation

The old adage ‘no man is an island’ is a reality faced by many athletes. The Athlete Career Development Programme develops each athlete’s capability to seek out and manage appropriate supports in order to fulfil their career needs. The Institute assists this process by building and maintaining a network of likeminded employers who are keen to recruit athletes on the basis of their high performance attributes and their need for flexible part time employment. 

3.       Relationship Management

Relationships play a key role in ensuring that ensuring that athletes receive the right support as they manage their career as an athlete. The Athlete Career Development Programme assists athletes in developing the necessary skills to manage relationships at work, at home and in their sports environment. This ensures that all athlete supporters are aligned and provide a team based support to each athlete.

4.       Job Searching

The Athlete Career Development Programme assists athletes in developing job search strategies that are focused on identifying and recruiting good fit employers. This involves developing a high quality CV and training athletes to perform effectively in interview scenarios. The Institute’s Athlete Employer Network offers athletes a readymade network of employers eager to identify top talent for their workplace.

'As an Olympian, I can relate to the importance of developing a career in tandem with an elite athlete lifestyle. Participation in elite sport can serve as useful means to convert a sporting success into a life success. The Institute’s Athlete Career Development Programme provides elite athletes with a best practice service designed to support athlete career needs. On behalf of the Irish Sports Council, we are delighted to support the development of this athlete centered programme'

John Treacy, CEO, Irish Sports Council

Alex Speers, Irish Hockey Association

Career Role: Auctioneer

Employer: CB Richard Ellis, Dublin

Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kq8wbz6csw

Stephen Campbell, Paralympics Ireland

Career Role: Software Developer Intern

Employer: Microsoft Ireland

Video Link: http://youtu.be/NBaEX2uPY2s

Since 2008, the Institute has delivered 6 athlete employer networking events designed to recognize top employers who provide first class support to athletes in the workplace. The development of this network has taken place with significant support from the Great Place To Work Institute Ireland. The following 20 companies have been recognized for providing athletes with first workplace support: Aer Arann, ESB Electric Ireland, Microsoft Ireland, CB Richard Ellis, Holy Trinity National School, O Donoghues Bakery, Tesco Ireland, FBD Insurance, The Irish Wheelchair Association, Com Reg, The Revenue Commissioners, Topaz Ireland, East Coast FM, The HSE, Harrods, Laois Sports Partnership, St Vincent’s Hospital, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Fire Brigade, An Garda Siochana, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.  The support delivered by these employers typically involves adjusted work hours and extra leave for training and competition. The events have also offered the Institute a useful opportunity to recruit new employers into the network. At present over 60 employers have attended the network events over the past 4 years.