YMCA Awards Launches Find a Freelancer to Connect Training Providers with Qualified Industry Professionals 

The new service creates a quality-controlled network of freelance professionals who meet YMCA Awards’ required qualification and quality standards, giving providers another route to finding the expertise they need to deliver, assess and quality assure their provision.

For freelancers, the service creates an opportunity to increase their professional visibility, develop new industry relationships and generate additional income by connecting with organisations looking for their skills and experience.

Responding to a Real Need

Finding appropriately qualified people can be a significant challenge for both established training providers and organisations looking to enter the sector.

YMCA Awards identified an opportunity to provide more active support in this area, particularly for prospective centres that have the ambition and infrastructure to deliver high-quality education but may not yet have all of the appropriately qualified professionals they need in place.

Rather than simply signposting organisations elsewhere, Find a Freelancer creates a direct connection between demand for expertise and qualified professionals already working across the sector.

The initiative forms part of YMCA Awards’ wider commitment to supporting training providers throughout their development and strengthening the education ecosystem around its qualifications.

How Find a Freelancer Works

Freelance Tutors, Assessors and IQAs can apply to become part of the Find a Freelancer network.

Applicants are required to demonstrate that they meet the relevant qualification and quality requirements before being accepted onto the service.

Training providers and prospective centres looking for additional expertise can then use Find a Freelancer to identify professionals who may be able to support their requirements.

The result is a simpler way to bring together training providers looking for expertise and qualified professionals looking for new freelance opportunities.

READY TO JOIN THE YMCA AWARDS FIND A FREELANCER DIRECTORY?  CLICK HERE

Creating Opportunities for Freelancers

Find a Freelancer has also been developed to support the professionals who play such an important role in delivering high-quality education.

For qualified Tutors, Assessors and IQAs, joining the network provides an additional platform through which they can showcase their expertise and connect with training providers.

It creates opportunities to undertake additional freelance work, broaden professional networks and use existing skills and qualifications to support both established and developing providers.

By bringing professionals and providers together, YMCA Awards also hopes the service will encourage greater networking, collaboration and sharing of expertise across the sector.

Supporting Quality from the Start

Quality remains central to the initiative.

Find a Freelancer is not simply a directory. Professionals applying to join the network must meet YMCA Awards’ required qualification and quality standards before being accepted.

This provides an additional level of confidence for providers using the service while helping YMCA Awards support quality from the earliest stages of a prospective centre’s development.

It also reflects a wider ambition to move beyond simply awarding qualifications and provide practical support that helps training providers, professionals and learners succeed.

Strengthening the Training Provider Community

Find a Freelancer represents the first stage of a broader approach to developing additional support and services for the YMCA Awards network.

By making better use of the knowledge, qualifications and experience that already exist across the sector, YMCA Awards aims to create opportunities for existing professionals while helping new and established providers access the expertise they need.

The principle behind the initiative is simple: connect good people with good providers and strengthen quality across the sector.

Vicki Steer, Acting Head of YMCA Awards said:

“Across our network there is an enormous amount of knowledge and experience, and at the same time we regularly speak to organisations looking for appropriately qualified people to support their provision. Find a Freelancer brings those two things together.

“For providers, it creates a simpler route to finding qualified Tutors, Assessors and IQAs. For freelancers, it creates greater visibility and the potential to access new opportunities. Most importantly, it allows us to take a more active role in connecting and supporting our sector while continuing to put quality at the heart of everything we do.”

Find Out More

Training providers looking for freelance Tutors, Assessors or IQAs can now explore Find a Freelancer from YMCA Awards by joining Centre Hub – a newly launched initiative that hosts the Find a Freelancer Directory CLICK HERE TO JOIN

Register to join Find a Freelancer CLICK HERE

OR to express your interest in joining CLICK HERE