Back in November we ran a survey to find out who was the sporting role model of the year, as well as looking to find out what attributes make for a good role model. Well the results are in, and they make for some interesting reading!

David Beckham was named as the best sporting role model for 2009, ahead of Chris Hoy and Lewis Hamilton, while there was no real surprise in the worst role model stakes with Tiger Woods topping the list ahead of a trio of footballers; Ashley Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo and Joey Barton. Bizarrely, Beckham also appeared in the list of bad sporting role models!

Football was overwhelmingly found to be the sport that is the worst for producing good role models, although the intense media glare that footballers face, above most other athletes, certainly can’t help matters.

Athletics was picked as the sport most likely to produce good role models, although football was also highly rated in for this along with tennis.

So what do people look for in a good role model? Fair play understandably was top of the list, with almost 60% of the vote, while winning and charitable work were a distant second and third. 10% however thought that no famous sportsperson could be a good role model.

Cheating at their sport, along with bad sportsmanship, were the key characteristics of bad sporting role models, while tales of alcohol and drug abuse were also high up the list. Strangely, despite the indiscretions of Tiger Woods placing him firmly at the top of the list of bad role models, just 2% of those questioned stated that being involved in a kiss and tell made a sports personality a bad role model.

2009’s best sporting role models:

1. David Beckham
2. Chris Hoy
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Roger Federer
5. Jenson Button
6. Ellen MacArthur
7. Paula Radcliffe
8. Usain Bolt
9. Lance Armstrong
10. Tim Henman

2009’s worst sporting role models:

1. Tiger Woods
2. Ashley Cole
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Joey Barton
5. Dwain Chambers
6. Marlon King
7. David Beckham
8. Ronnie O’Sullivan
9. Freddie Flintoff
10. Serena Williams

And if you’re wondering why we were undertaking this research, the new Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure, which launches in September, includes a module on teaching young people how to be good sporting role models – fair play and good sportsmanship seem to be order of the day there.

Spot anyone missing from either list? What key attributes do you look for in a sporting role model? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

As we enter a new year, and indeed a new decade, we are faced with a number of new possibilities, but also new challenges.

According to the economists we are entering into phase two of the recession and the old adage of getting worse before it gets better is a real possibility for us in the skills sector. With a general election fast approaching, there is a renewed emphasis on squeezing public expenditure. There appears to be a competition going on between the political parties on who can cut public expenditure the most, yet have the least impact on public services. This very much puts funding for training into the spotlight.

With that said, we are already in active dialogue with the political parties to fight the corner for public funding focused on the needs of employers. It is clear that whichever party gets in, Apprenticeships will be the flagship training programme. This is good news for a sector built of vocational qualifications.

There is clear evidence that Apprenticeships provide the best route for young people into the industry by giving them structured training and real work experience. They also provide employers with the opportunity to get to know and shape the people that they need for the future.

The good news is that the role of Sector Skills Councils as the coordinated voice of employers has been reaffirmed by both the Labour and Conservative parties; and in fact the Conservatives see employer leadership as crucial to the continued rationalisation of the skills landscape.

Of course a major weapon in our armoury is our National Skills Academy, set up to bring together public, employer and individual investment to achieve best value for money and ensure the best training available. We are proactively promoting the Academy to politicians as the most cost effective way of getting funding into skills delivery where it is really needed.

Looking forward, the new Qualifications and Credit Framework finally becomes the only game in town after the end of this year, enabling employers to access bite sized learning credits – something we have been lobbying for a long time. In addition, only qualifications approved by us will get on the new Framework, meaning that only qualifications that are approved by employers may be eligible for public funding.

And not forgetting the launch of the Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure in September. A major part of the 14-19 education reform, the Diploma will offer young people the opportunity to combine both class work and hands-on experience giving them the a fully rounded education through a number of learning methods within both the classroom and the workplace. We have ensured that employers have been fully engaged through the development of the Diploma and can be confident that the content is right, what employers are looking for, and yet is still suitable to go on to college and university if that is the ultimate goal.

So what a year we have in front of us. Last year was all about the relicensing process, this year is about delivering our strategic objectives. With that said, we still need employers to engage with us, now more than ever, with your support we can continue to pressure the government to fund the qualifications and training that are important to our sector. Once you’ve help us to shape them of course.