“Equipping students with the tools to live and work safely”
One of the foundational areas of study covered at the start of The Academy Program is the unit on Safety. As personal and collective safety in the sport and recreation environment is one the most important areas of concern for professionals working in this industry, The Academy covers these topics in detail at the start of the Program to allow students to view their remaining activities and projects through this lens.
In Safety, students are educated on:
- Relevant health and safety governing bodies and legislation that inform WHS/OHS policies and procedures
- Advanced skills in identifying and mitigating hazards and risks
- Responding to emergency situations in a variety of contexts
Students use this knowledge to critically analyse the health and safety requirements of the spaces that relate to their High Performance Program (e.g. gym, pool and oval) and ensure they work and train safely whilst at The Academy.
Whilst safety compliance is an integral component of any future work environment, this unit particularly benefits students wanting to explore roles as strength and conditioning coaches or personal trainers within the AFL industry.
Brothers, Archer and Foster Gardiner, in the year 11 Wangaratta cohort said that given how prevalent safety and OHS is in so many other aspects of their lives already (e.g. workplace inductions, etc.), that it “made sense” to learn it in the classroom: “I feel that I’ll need this sort of information in my future so it’s good to learn it [at school], and particularly why it’s so important which I don’t think they explain elsewhere.”
For more examples and information on The Academy curriculum, CLICK HERE to register to attend an upcoming information session.