Technological improvements reduce prices and 3 examples of leisure experiences that are a result of changes in technology are:
- Computers
- World wide web (internet)
- Virtual reality machines
Here are some other major influences on how we choose to spend our leisure time:
- Business
- Media and communication
- Consumerism
- Marketing
- Politics
Development of the Leisure & Recreation Industry in the Future
The leisure and recreation industry has undergone a massive change and is still rapidly growing. Many factors will and have affected this change and most of them will be to do with trends and money.
Household expenditure spent on sport and leisure goods has continued to grow. According to Mintel, leisure spending has risen from £49.1 billion in 1994 to £57.5 billion in 1997 and to £60.3 billion in 1999. According to government figures, consumer spending on leisure goods and services accounted for 27% of all consumer expenditure in 2000 and this figure is set to rise in future years. Since 1968, leisure services and goods have increased more than any other sector of household expenditure due mainly to the service sector. The proportion of household expenditure spent on leisure goods has remained much the same. The service industry will play a big role of the development of the leisure industry in the future. Sky TV, visitor attractions, spectator sports and sports/health clubs will mean that there will be more opportunities for consumers to spend money in the service sector. In the early years of the 21st century, expenditure on leisure activities will not necessarily increase at a much faster rate than the economy as a whole. Much of this is due to work pressures, an increasing number of women now work full time, and many people are working longer hours. Leisure expenditure is also likely to be spread over a widening range of activities, with some consumers willing to invest heavily in particular hobbies, rather than spreading their spending over a number of activities.
There is such a thing as sporting activities being popular. People, especially women will buy workout and fitness videos/DVDs to actually keep fit or just to “go with the flow” and try their best to look like the celebrities they see on TV. Leisure activities are becoming more popular because they fit in with people’s lifestyles better and they can do it when it suits them best. Because of this rise in non-home based leisure activities such as going to the cinema, eating out, visiting museums or theme parks and sitting in pubs and nightclubs, there will be a decrease in participation of competitive sports such as traditional team games because in competitive sport, there has to be a lot of commitment and it can be very time consuming. It has been proved that we, as a nation are becoming less fit and in the future people will tend to play less ‘heavy’ sport such as rugby and football which requires high energy and take part in more ‘softer’ sports such as badminton and golf which requires less energy. Eating out has become exceptionally popular because of the high employment rate that the country has. People work more hours so have less time and energy to cook so they visit local pubs and restaurants to have their dinner. Also in the UK there has been a rise over the years in young drinkers, this means that public houses thrive on their visits regularly and most young adults consider sitting in their local a definite leisure activity. More and more people are browsing the internet or watching the latest DVD or soap on their TV screens rather than picking up a book or magazine. Sky TV is one of the most popular broadcasting companies and people also consider sitting in front of a TV or computer screen is one way of spending their leisure time.
The National Lottery has planned within the next few years to fund more voluntary clubs and schools to get young people more involved in taking part in sporting activities hoping to change lifestyles of young children. The government will also continue funding governing bodies to make broadcasting much easier for sports such as hockey and squash.
Sportswear is still immensely popular today, with celebrities including top footballers like David Beckham wearing the latest Nike trainers and Adidas tracksuit bottoms. In the future there will be less need to wear sports clothing unless it is clothing to do with football or basketball because these sports are more likely to dominate future sportswear fashion and will be the most televised sports worldwide.
Because of the advances in architecture and technology, sports buildings are incredible. In the future, there will be less sports halls and more equipped spectator facilities, with hi-tech information systems, sliding roofs to suit the weather, superb lighting and sound and great seating and catering. Private sector businesses will compete with one another to provide their members with the best luxury and technology. One example of this would be the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. It brought a lot of tourism and money in to the UK creating more jobs and opportunities. This is why the bid for the Olympics 2012 is so important to the UK. It will create so much more employment opportunities ranging from administrative staff, to catering staff, even grounds staff. With more and more consumers content to have a meal out as their main leisure experience outside the home, efforts have to be made to attract them to venues such as cinemas and theatres.
There was a revival in cinema-going during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the market has flattened off recently and audiences are still youth-dominated. New multiplex cinemas are being built, but often within, or adjacent to, property complexes, which house other leisure or retailing attractions. Theatres have suffered a loss of popularity outside the West End, where big-budget productions continue to attract large audiences, both domestic and foreign.
- New & Future Technology Impacts
Although technology has had some impact on entertainment outside the home (e.g. displays in museums and large-screen TVs in pubs), the main effect has been felt in leisure at home. Multichannel TV is available to more homes, although interactive services could produce a more major change in home entertainment.
The use of the Internet is still settling down as a type of leisure, and it may eventually have more impact indirectly, rather than directly, on leisure pursuits, by saving time spent commuting or shopping.
The Scale of the Leisure & Recreation Industry
Consumer spending
The lifestyles of people in the UK have changed considerably during the past few years and this is clearly shown in the change in the pattern of their leisure activities. According to government statistics consumer spending on general leisure activities rose by 30.5% between 1995 and 1999, reaching £154.23 billion as you can see by this table below (in billions)
Source: National Statistics/Key Note
Time is an important factor in leisure activities, with work, commuting and sometimes childcare putting a premium on leisure time for today’s consumer. Some people adopt a ‘having-it-all’ approach and take part in both home-based and away from home leisure, while others choose home-based leisure and fit it around their busy lifestyles. Overall, watching television is the most time consuming home leisure activity, but time-use surveys show that increasingly, people fit in reading or listening to music or the radio.
Other leisure activities can be made by friends and family. Entertaining at home is popular than ever, especially families, and there has been an interest in gardening and DIY, because the investment provides a pleasant home to entertain in. Whilst technology has had some impact on entertainment outside the home (e.g. displays in museums and large TV screens in pubs), the main impact has been in home-based leisure. Most homes have multi-channel TV and the use of the internet is already having an indirect impact on leisure pursuits by saving time on commuting and shopping. The table below shows the increase in consumer spending on selected home-based leisure activities between 1993 and 2003. Whilst spending on non-home based leisure activities has increased by 69% over this period, home-based leisure activities is not far behind with an increase of 57% in the same period. (£billion)
Source: National Statistics/Key Note
People employed in the industry
The leisure industry is huge, with a wide range of potential job opportunities. Generally speaking, there are lots of 'basic' level jobs, particularly in organisations such as theme parks, but there are variations across the industry.
While it is still relatively easy to get started in hospitality, leisure centres or theme parks, it is much less easy to find the first opening in countryside recreation, conservation or the arts.
Many parts of the industry are genuinely 'open' in terms of opportunities once you've found the first job - there are few formal structures to hamper the well motivated new entrant. Other parts of the industry, however, are more formalised in terms of advancement.
As a general observation the following profile applies to the leisure industry:
- Majority of the jobs are service jobs, although there are a minority of trade-based jobs such as stage electricians and countryside crafts such as hedge trimming.
- Most work is unskilled or semi-skilled. For example, cleaners, receptionists and play leaders.
- Most of the workforce is non-graduate.
- There are high levels of seasonal and temporary work such as theme parks.
- Pay levels are quite low, including junior management level.
Types of jobs
In the leisure industry there is a vast majority of jobs, including theme parks, leisure centres, cinemas, pubs, restaurants, hotels, countryside rangers and so on. But all these jobs can be split up into a variety of levels:
- Technicians/maintenance
- Receptionists
- Attendants
- Security
- Supervisors
- Duty managers
- Managers
- Finance
- Admin staff
- Support staff
- Marketing
- Sales
- Area/senior managers
- Directors
From the list above you can tell that some of these jobs require a minimum entry level. But there is a variety of starting points:
- from school at age 16/17 with some leaving qualifications
- from school/college at 18/19 with A Levels, or Scottish Highers
- from a college at 18/20 with a vocational qualification
- from higher education with an HND or degree
- from higher education with a post-graduate qualification
- from another career with relevant experience
Entry at 16/17 with some school leaving qualifications
The leisure industry does not offer 'traineeships' except in a few instances; many school leavers have to make a start in basic posts such as recreation assistant, with training provided on the job. Further education on a part-time basis may often be possible. Part-time or seasonal work opportunities may offer the chance to get started in the leisure industry. Vacancies at this level are very rarely advertised. Most successful entrants make contact with local leisure facilities themselves. They may even demonstrate commitment by part-time or even voluntary work before an opening occurs full time.
Entry at 18/19 with A Levels or Higher
Normally, this entry point into the industry is not recommended - it is better to have a vocational qualification or to go on to higher education. However, some entrants do take basic level posts just to get into the industry.
Entry with HND or degree
It must be stressed that completion of a higher education qualification will not automatically lead to a job in the leisure industry. There is now a wide range and variety of HND and degree courses. There are still many degrees which are not vocationally orientated and quite a few graduates may find it necessary to seek any openings in the leisure industry in order to get started. Traineeships are still not common although some of the larger commercial companies do recruit graduate trainees. The HND is increasingly viewed as a relevant vocational qualification by leisure employers.
Entry with a postgraduate qualification
Some graduates may decide to go on to pursue postgraduate awards in the UK, ranging from masters degrees in leisure management to highly specialist awards in leisure planning, cultural studies or environmental studies. Successful students often succeed in obtaining leisure industry posts and may sometimes enter leisure marketing or other areas oblique to functional management in leisure.
Entry from another career
Mature entrants to the leisure industry come from a wide variety of backgrounds including the armed forces, police, the retail trade, commerce or manufacturing. Sometimes voluntary involvement in sporting activities, local theatre groups or with conservation societies may act as the start to an individual seeking to work full time in leisure. The leisure industry offers part-time opportunities in a wide variety of roles from sports coach to receptionist.
Participation
Originally sport was all about competition but now sport is often enjoyed. For many years certain physical and mental characteristics made some people more likely to enjoy this sort of competitive sport than others. These traits include strength, speed and coordination; while mentally, aggression, competitiveness against opposition, team working skills with team members, self-determination and confidence. Less competitive sports are now thought to be more popular because people can do sport to enjoy themselves with less of their leisure time used up with committing themselves to their team. They can also do it in the comfort of their own homes alone or with a friend. The Time Use Survey, conducted in 2000, showed that eating, working, sleeping and watching TV are what people in the UK do most. These activities take up more than half the day. A third of the day is spent sleeping. The survey also shows that four in five people did some type of physical activity in the four weeks before the survey and that they spend more time taking part in sports and other physical activities than watching it on TV (16 minutes a day compared with 4 minutes a day).
In 2002 the General Household Survey collected data about adult participation in a range of selected leisure activities.
The most popular of the selected activities in the four weeks before interview was watching television (99%), followed by listening to the radio (88%). These participation rates have been constant since 1996. The proportion of adults who said they listened to records or tapes has increased steadily over the last 25 years from 62% in 1977 to 83% in 2002. The proportion of adults who read books was the same in 2002 as in 1996 (65%).
In terms of adult participation in the arts, it was reported that in the four weeks before interview:
- 11% had sang or played a musical instrument;
- 11% had danced;
- 9% had painted, or drew or did printmaking or sculpture;
- 4% had written stories, plays or poetry;
- 3% had voluntarily helped with the running of an arts/cultural event or organisation; and
- 2% had performed in a play, drama or rehearsed for a performance.
There were differences in participation rates in the arts by age and sex. Men and women in the youngest age group (16 to 19) were the most likely to have performed in a play, painted or written stories, plays or poetry. Participation rates for performing in plays and painting decreased with age. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to have been dancing (14% compared with 8%). The peak ages for dancing were 16-19 for women (33%) and 20 to 24 for men (15%).
Women were more than twice as likely as men to have attended a leisure or recreational class (10% of women compared with 4% of men)
The Structure of the Leisure and Recreation Industry
The leisure and recreation industry is divided into three sectors:
- Private sector
- Public sector
- Voluntary sector
The private sector
The primary aim of a private sector business is to make a profit. If they fail to do so, they will eventually go out of business. To make a profit they need to produce goods and services at a cost that is less than which they sell them. Private sector organisations are also in competition with other leisure providers and need to maintain value for money and keep prices reasonably low in order to retain their market share.
The private sector will generally become involved only in the provision of facilities and services for which the public will pay a sufficient return. Usually private sector facilities are less interested in organising activities and tend to encourage informal activities and although some facilities like tennis centres, will run competitive teams and squads. Examples of private sector facilities include:
- Ski centres
- Golf driving ranges
- Indoor bowls halls
- Snooker halls
- Tennis centres
- Private gyms
- Health clubs
The public sector
The public sector can be split up into three bodies which make up the public sector. Which are: the Central Government, the Local Government and Public bodies, known as quangos.
Its main functions are to:
- Develop a policy
- Provide facilities and services that are not adequately supplied by the private sector and are for the ‘common good’
- Provide funding and other help to the voluntary sector and sometimes the private sector
The public sector provides services such as museums, which benefit all the community, which the private sector tends not to supply. Local government is the organisation that provides services, facilities and other support for the common good that other sectors cannot provide. The central government is responsible for creating policies for the national governing of a country. The balance of power is divided between the policy-makers or ministers and an executive of civil servants who put the policies into action. For leisure, the principal department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or DCMS. Public bodies or quangos as their sometimes known are policy making organisations which usually exist separately for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The main purposes of public bodies are to:
- Influence thinking
- Learn about the aspects of their selected areas, including leisure
- Redirect funding from the government in the form of grants
- Advise ministers on policies and the needs of the sector
- Manage certain services and resources that fall beyond local interest, for example, Sport England operates the national sport centres.
Leisure covers a wide range of activities and attracts the involvement of several public bodies. Some of the more important ones are shown in the table below:
The Voluntary Sector
The voluntary sector is normally divided into two parts. In the first part, there are many activities that are run by volunteers - these are local voluntary organisations. In the second part are organisations which use volunteers but have a salaried administration, such as a charity shop worker.
Employment Opportunities
All sorts of organisations are involved in providing access to sport and leisure - local authorities, commercial organisations, industrial organisations, universities and colleges and voluntary groups and trusts.
It is a popular area of work so you need to be keen and the highest pre-entry qualifications, both practical and academic, are mainly needed. I feel if I was to go and work in the industry, I would apply for a managerial job as I think I am good at making decisions and working on my own or as part of a team. I have researched what managers are expected of in the leisure and recreation industry. Because the leisure and recreation is a growing industry, managers must be willing and able to take on a varied workload and also be willing to work in the evening and even some weekends, when the public want to use leisure and recreational facilities.
Sports and Leisure Centres
Large public sports centres are generally owned by local authorities and are run by them or by private operators. Centres usually have facilities for both indoor and outdoor sports. Some centres have extensive facilities, which can include pools, sports halls, fitness suites, bars and eating areas. Such a centre could employ a number of staff at supervisory and management levels.
The managers’ responsibilities include:
- Recruiting and managing the staff, which might include special coaches and trainers
- Timetabling the facilities and working with various user groups to balance the interests of everyone
- Managing the finances
- Promoting events and organising advertising
- Being responsible for health and safety
- Ensuring the smooth operation of the centre on a daily basis
Sports and leisure centre managers need:
- To enjoy working with people
- To be a good team worker
- Organisational ability
- Enthusiasm and bright ideas
- A good head for business
The sports councils run a number of national sports centres, with facilities for people to participate in top-level sport. Managers are employed to take responsibility for the running and development of the centres.
Leisure and Fitness Clubs
Recent years have seen the growth of privately owned health and fitness clubs and studios, country clubs, leisure clubs attached to hotels and sports clubs offering a range of leisure facilities. The managers’ responsibilities are similar to those of a larger sports and leisure facility, as previously described. In small clubs, managers get involved in the basic day-to-day operational work as well as management level tasks.
University and College Sports Centres
Educational establishments often provide very good sports and leisure facilities. Jobs can involve both administrative work and physical education or coaching. A physical education and a teaching qualification are usually required.
Theme Parks etc
In the commercial sector, there are a growing number of large scale leisure attractions, incorporating things like fairground-style rides and amusements, animal collections and exhibitions of all sorts, mostly historical. Some large firms own several sites - for example, Madame Tussauds owns Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures. Stately homes have also got into these types of ventures. Holiday centres such as Pontins or Centre Parcs are designed to appeal to the general public, families in particular, providing something for everyone. Lottery funding has resulted in a number of new visitor attractions, which provide a blend of education and entertainment. All these various leisure facilities need management staff. Opportunities lie particularly in general and financial management and marketing and promotions, some specialist staff are also needed to deal with particular themes or sporting facilities.
Sports Development Work
The aim of sports development work is to help to promote participation in sport and to improve sporting excellence. Some jobs involve promoting a particular sport; others are about encouraging participation in sport in general or for particular groups e.g. for women or young children. Employers include local authorities, regional and national bodies and the governing bodies of various sports. The work involves the contact with community groups, the media, people working in local and national government and various other agencies, dealing with matters like sponsorship bids, publicity, events promotion, standards of training and the development of facilities.
Sport England and the other national councils, for instance, are independent bodies which promote sport and facilities for physical recreation; there are also sports councils to advise on local requirements. They are staffed by research, administrative and technical personnel but only in small numbers.
Other Opportunities
Many small organisations offer occasional opportunities. Some of these are in the public or voluntary sectors, e.g. the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or the local wildlife trusts.
Below, I have summarised the main and most popular jobs in the leisure and recreation industry. I have separated them into the six categories that come under the leisure and recreation industry, these are only the most popular but there are many more available.
Vikki Reid
34 Mantlefield Road
Corby
Northants
NN18 0AS
Tel: 01536 268730
Date of Birth: 13th January 1988
Education
1999-2004 Kingswood School, Corby
GCSE’s: English Lit C, English Lang C, Maths C, Science C C, Geography C, German B, Drama B, Graphics C, Child Development C, GNVQ ICT Pass.
- Kingswood Sixth Form, Corby
AVCE Leisure and Recreation
AVCE Business
AVCE ICT
Work History
2000-2002 Saturday Girl, Hairdressers Assistant
ABC Hairdressers, Farmstead Road, Corby
- Dealing with customers
- Dealing with payments
- Washing hair
- Stock taking
- Answering the phone
- Making appointments
2002-Present Waitress, Receptionist
Hunting Lodge Hotel, Cottingham, Leicestershire
- Working as part of a team
- Handling large amounts of money
- Using the hotel’s computer and phone system
- Checking invoices
- Dealing with telephone enquiries
Hobbies and Interests
My main interests are in the travel and tourism industry, and this is where I see my career lying. My aim is to travel the world within the same company and hopefully be a manager or someone who is involved with making decisions. I love visiting different destinations to find out about different cultures. I also know that I will enjoy working with people from different backgrounds.
Referees:
Kaye Sayles Phillip Ritchie-Smith
Head of Sixth Form Director & General Manager
Kingswood School Hunting Lodge Hotel
Gainsborough Road Cottingham
Corby, Northants Mkt Harborough, Leics
(01536) 741857 (01536) 771370
Curriculum Vitae of Vikki Reid
Personal Details
Name: Vikki Reid Date of Birth: 13th January 1988
Languages: English, German
Address: 34 Mantlefield Road, Corby, Northants, NN18 0AS
Tel No: 01536 268730
Email: [email protected]
Education & Qualifications
Institution Date Awards Grade
Kingswood School, 2004-2006 AVCE Leisure
Corby and Recreation
AVCE ICT
AVCE Business
1999-2004 GCSE
English CC
Science CC
Maths C
Geography C
German B
Graphics C
Drama B
Child Dev C
GNVQ ICT PASS
Work History
2002-Present Waitress, Receptionist
Hunting Lodge Hotel, Cottingham, Leicestershire
- Working as part of a team
- Handling large amounts of money
- Using the hotel’s computer and phone system
- Checking invoices
- Dealing with telephone enquiries
Hobbies and Interests
My main interests are in the travel and tourism industry, and this is where I see my career lying. My aim is to travel the world within the same company and hopefully be a manager or someone who is involved with making decisions. I love visiting different destinations to find out about different cultures. I also know that I will enjoy working with people from different backgrounds.
Referees:
Kaye Sayles Phillip Ritchie-Smith
Head of Sixth Form Director & General Manager
Kingswood School Hunting Lodge Hotel
Gainsborough Road Cottingham
Corby, Northants Mkt Harborough, Leics
(01536) 741857 (01536) 771370
The job that interests me the most
As I have said before in my curriculum vitae, I am very interested in the travel and tourism industry. I have researched many jobs on the internet and other resources such as newspapers and I have visited my local job centre. Out of the choice i had gathered I picked out one job that stood out to my interests and researched it even further. It was for a travel consultant in central/west London which has always been a keen area of interest in the UK for me. The job role included booking clients holidays and up selling on other benefits, for example, car hire. The company provides an excellent training programme and it says in the job description that previous sales and travel experience is essential as well as being educated to degree level or the equivalent. These last two things are something I haven’t got yet. I got in contact with Thomas Cook Holidays and they gave me a choice of what I could do to further my experience in the travel and tourism industry. They offered me an apprenticeship, which they place high importance on training and staff development, so this represents the perfect start to a career in travel, giving you all the experience and training you need to obtain a NVQ qualification - up to Level 3 - in Travel Services. If you are aged between 16 and 18, you will be helped every step of the way by an experienced Sales Consultant who will ensure that you get everything you need out of it the apprenticeship. This sounded very appealing to me and is something I may consider doing after I finish my courses at the moment. After my A-Levels I do hope to go to university and study international tourism management or a course that is something very similar. Most of the courses that I have researched offers a placement year and this is were I could take my work experience further and gain more knowledge about the travel and tourism industry. I think this job is very suited to my skills and abilities. The role of a travel consultant needs to be enthusiastic, well organised and also have a professional business manager, and I think I am capable of all these characteristics. As a travel consultant, the more you sell the more you earn. In my job that I am interested in, I will start at £12,000 basic plus commission and the job guarantees earnings of at least £18,000 in the first year. The hours are of a basic office structure, Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm, which doesn’t bother me at all. I would also like this job to include travelling to different parts of the UK and maybe stretch to Europe or even further.
Bibliography
Books
- Heinemann AVCE Advanced Leisure & Recreation by Ian Roberts
- Connexions Help Leaflets
Websites
- www.statistics.gov.uk
- www.sportengland.org.uk
- www.google.com
- www.ask.co.uk
- www.yahoo.co.uk
- www.leisuretourism.com
- www.jobcentreplus.co.uk
- www.thomascookjobs.co.uk
- www.keynote.co.uk
Phone Numbers
- Thomas Cook Central Recruitment - 01733 416183
- Department of Culture, Media and Sport - 020 7211 6200
Newspapers
- The Times
- The Financial Times
- The Sun
- The Mirror
- Evening Telegraph (local newspaper)
