Leisure/Recreation Management

Leisure/recreation management studies provide an excellent grounding in general business management skills, including finance, human resources (HR), physical resources management, business planning, marketing, legal matters (health and safety) and customer service. These are all highly transferable skills and can lead to a management role in any sector.   You should consider these skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.

Working as a Tourist Attraction Co-ordinator

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Prospects

Degrees in leisure/recreation management lead to a wide variety of possible occupations with previous graduates being employed in fields such as marketing, sales and IT. A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation, nearly 70% of leisure and recreation management graduates had found paid employment in the UK and overseas. Of those in work, about 6% had taken positions in the arts and culture or sport and leisure sectors and a further 20% had found management posts in the private or public sector.

Where are the jobs?

Typical employers include fitness and leisure centres, hotels and accommodation facilities, and cinema and entertainment complexes. Leisure facilities are owned and managed by both commercial companies and local government. Politically focused roles relating to developing communities through leisure, strategic planning, and implementing national policy are also available in local government.

Leisure/recreation management graduates are also finding opportunities within event management companies (producing festivals, concerts, exhibitions and corporate or private parties) and also within leisure management consultancies (providing advice to the public and private sector on how best to manage their sports and leisure facilities).

Potential employment areas worth investigating:

• Sport and leisure - the sector that helps people enjoy their spare time! This includes provision for physical activities (fitness, outdoor hobbies), entertainment (cinemas, theatres, restaurants), relaxation and cultural pursuits (museums and galleries, reading, shopping).
• Tourism - this sector covers provision for tourists, both in the UK and abroad. The travel industry is closely linked. Employers include tourist boards, tour operators and travel agents, tourist information centres and any business associated with a 'tourist attraction'.
• Hospitality - this sector is dedicated to providing services which contribute to people's enjoyment and comfort away from home, mainly in their leisure time but also in a work context. The sector includes organisations such as hotels, restaurants, pubs and clubs, and catering services.

Jobs directly related to your degree

• Fitness centre manager
• Outdoor pursuits manager
• Theme park manager
• Event organiser
• Tourist information centre manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful

• Cinema manager
• Sports development officer
• Tourism consultant
• Customer services manager
• Sports administrator

There is a crossover between the leisure/recreation industry and hospitality and catering. Roles in hospitality include Accommodation manager (i.e. in conference centres and hotels) and Restaurant manager, where your general understanding of managing a range of facilities will apply.

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it's not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

You can find more about the skills you develop during your course, the jobs listed above, plus case studies and where to find these jobs at Prospects.

Included with the permission of AGCAS. For the latest version of this publication, see www.prospects.ac.uk. For permission to reproduce, contact copyright@agcas.org.uk