British Cycling is linking up with Liverpool John Moores University with the aim to evaluate and build on the success of the organisation’s coach education programme.

The university is offering a PhD entitled ‘An investigation of British Cycling’s coach education pathway’, which will see a student evaluate the current processes in order to answer the following questions:

• What do coach education policy makers expect coaches to know, understand and practice as a result of attending coaching qualifications?
• Which aspects of coaching qualifications do coaches find the most useful and use the most in their coaching practices and how do these differ over time?
• Is there a ‘wash-out’ effect in coaches returning to their natural coaching environments following their successful completion of a Level 1, 2 or 3 coaching qualification?
• At all levels of the coach education pathway, which contexts and mechanisms interface to produce which outcomes?

British Cycling has trained 4500 coaches to date, with a portfolio of courses and workshops that sees over 1200 coaches a year furthering their coaching knowledge. The education offering is award-winning, with British Cycling winning Governing Body of the Year at the 2015 UK Coaching Awards – and again being a finalist in 2016.

Vinny Webb, coaching and education manager at British Cycling, said:

“This placement provides an exciting and challenging opportunity to explore one of sport’s leading coach education offerings, using insight collected directly from those delivering cycling at all levels.

“We are proud to continue our work with Liverpool John Moores University, which will no doubt bolster the progressive learning environment we pride ourselves on. With the successful applicant performing research into primary coaching delivery as a result of course attendance, the resultant learnings will have a profound and long-lasting effect on how the sport of cycling grows in the UK.”

Interested parties can apply here, until the closing date of December 16. Interviews will take place at the National Cycling Centre, Manchester, in January.

For further details on the project, email Professor David Morley at d.m.morley@ljmu.ac.uk.