Christmas Message: From Ignite Training CEO, Justin Merritt
Posted on: 23rd Dec 2024
Adult Education 
Justin Merritt delivers his festive message and looks ahead to a bright, prosperous, 2025 for training and education
Growth and personal development sit at the heart of everything we aspire to achieve at Ignite Training across our portfolio of apprenticeship standards and adult education qualifications.
It’s why in recent years we’ve invested significantly in our senior leadership team, tutors and those who work hard behind the scenes to broaden our tailored approach to education and training across an increasing number of sectors.
We consistently bang the drum about the importance of investing in the skillsets of colleagues – new and established – to support business growth and development while bringing fresh ideas to the table.
At the beginning of the year, we committed to applying our own knowledge and expertise to our operation at Ignite Training with a view to expanding our vocational training opportunities and partner base.
Reflecting on our own achievements in 2024, delivering qualifications equivalent to foundation degrees which specialise in leadership and management qualities has helped us fulfil that ambition.
Furthermore, since October our work has been accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) meaning our team can deliver internationally recognised qualifications for the first time.
As an organisation which has historically prided itself on PE and school sport delivery before specialising in sports-based apprenticeships, the above has taken our deliverables to new levels and helped us establish new strategic partners in both sport and business.
On a personal note, working with Premier League and Championship football clubs, top-flight rugby union teams, county FAs, charities, pharmaceutical companies and SME’s is a positive marker of just how far we have come.
A long way off from our first session at a local primary school where we had one vehicle plus a bag of footballs, cones, skipping ropes and the like!
Of course, none of our growth would be possible without maintaining the high standards of delivery across our more familiar apprenticeship programmes from Level 2 to Level 4.
Equally pleasing to launching our Level 5 Leadership and Management courses has been witnessing the development of our own team of tutors – many of whom started life at Ignite Training as apprentices themselves.
It only reinforces our view that investing in apprenticeships supports business and employee growth in the long run and staff retention too at a time where recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging.
Looking ahead to next year, one of the biggest shifts across the industry will see SMEs and levy paying organisations able to use funds to deliver short ‘skill pill’ courses to colleagues.
Within each apprenticeship qualification are modules which can without doubt contribute to plugging skill gaps employers might experience within their team. This bitesize learning approach to staff development is an interesting concept and will remove the requirement for businesses to commit to a multi-year course, which can be a blocker to some employers and employees.
Our Head of Education Neville Algar wrote in greater detail about this during the summer. You can read his insightful column here.
Progress under the Ignite Training umbrella is matched by our sister organisations Ignite Sport and Velocity Football.
With the Olympics and men’s Euros taking centre stage this summer, our holiday camp delivery has been as popular as you would expect in addition to our boys and girls football provisions.
It’s been a bumper year for Velocity Football too, with record retention rates, more players using our proven development pathway in partnership with Oxford City FC and personal upskilling so learners can be mental health champions and potentially help save a life.
As I alluded to at the top of this column, growth and personal development sit at the heart of what we deliver. So, a massive thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve both points with Ignite Training this year.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Justin Merritt, Ignite Training CEO.
