Project

The SCORES project (Developing SKILLS & COMPETENCES RESULTING in EMPLOYABILITY THROUGH SPORT) is an exciting new initiative which connects academic experts, sports organizations, volunteers and representatives from the business sector, from six EU countries – Spain, Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Belgium and the Netherlands – with expertise and a continued interest in improving young athletes ‘support in their life and career during and after sport. The project focus within the field of Dual Careers (DC) of athletes is on employability and supporting services, and therefore the topic is ‘Promote education in and through sport with special focus on skills development, as well as support the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes’.

Sports is a value–based sector directly linked to ethical leadership and to the development of professional skills. As a matter of fact, sports are a goldmine of occupational skills to access the labor market as one of the very unique assets in the present global economy. In the course of his/heer sport career, an athlete may acquire basic skills and competences (such as fair play, self-esteem, resilience, honesty, trust, etc.) but also specific job related skills (such as sensitivity to diversity, client/environment awareness, generating synergies, teambuilding, taking care of people, etc.). The above sets of skills are often taught in the best MBA’s. Athletes can acquire them while practicing sport at the highest level.

Detecting how and when – in which situations – (competitions, training, etc.) these skills and competences are and can be developed while practicing sports, is crucial. It is also very important to create the necessary tools to streamline and reinforce them.
Recognition is crucial for the project and therefore the partners acknowledges the need to deploy informal learning validation mechanisms that can lead to increased employability of young athletes. In this regard, the main goal of the project is to contribute towards sustaining European young athletes in their DC and increase their employment opportunities (before and during the retirement transition), providing them support to prepare for “normal” careers and promoting the recognition of informal education acquired during their sports career.

The different goals of this project are
To understand which values, competences and skills are embedded in the different sports disciplines - whether individual or team-based, Olympic or professional – and are preferred by employers, and to develop effective toolkits for sports organizations to streamline and reinforce them.
To develop a pilot program to improve and exploit athletes’ skills for their better employability, using a holistic approach, which includes the validation of non-formal and informal learning gained in and through sports and based on an objective certification system.
To raise awareness and boost the capacity of the coaches/mentors/trainers and other technical staff in favor of the professional development and skills training of the athletes, promoting the role and education of such agents in the DC field;
To activate and encourage a network of sport and labor market organizations, education centers, as well as other key stakeholders, to share knowledge and best practices in promoting athletes’ future job careers.