Stoke City Academy approached The Inspirational Learning Group to explore how we could best prepare their players for the world of work should they not progress into full-time professional football. Our aim was to help them recognise their transferable skills and understand how those strengths can be applied across a range of sectors and roles.

At The Inspirational Learning Group, we worked with academy players to help them recognise the skills they already use every day, and how these apply beyond the pitch. The focus was on bridging the gap between sport and the workplace, making those connections clear, practical and relevant.

The Inspirational Learning Group team delivered a series of interactive workshops centred around engineering and key employability skills including communication, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, creativity, resilience and presentation.

The day was designed to be hands-on and engaging. Players took part in a series of engineering-based challenges that tested their critical thinking and ability to work under pressure.

• Building the tallest possible structure using only paper and card, designed to hold a ping pong ball
• Creating a stable solution to balance the ball using limited materials
• Designing and building a working floodlight system using electrical circuits

Each activity required players to collaborate, think strategically and adapt quickly, mirroring both match-day environments and real workplace scenarios.

The sessions delivered by The Inspirational Learning Group not only developed these skills further, but helped players understand how they transfer into industries such as engineering, construction, technology and beyond.

Impact

Players demonstrated strong engagement throughout, showing clear progression in how they approached challenges, communicated as a team and reflected on their performance.

Importantly, they left with a better understanding of their own strengths and how these can be applied both within football and in future careers outside of the sport.

Player Feedback

“Today showed us that the skills we use in football, like communication and teamwork, can be used in other jobs as well. The challenges made us think differently and work together properly.”

“We didn’t realise how much problem solving and thinking goes into things like engineering. It was good to see how it links to what we already do every day.”

Looking to do something similar?

If you’re looking to develop the skills of your young people and better prepare them for the world of work, get in touch with The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG). We deliver bespoke workshops tailored to your setting, designed to bring out the very best in every student.