In episode four of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, Global Institute of Sport (GIS) Asia-Pacific Regional Director Ray Boggiano joins the show to talk about how the Institute is assisting students get into the sports industry.
The Global Institue of Sport is a world leader in tertiary sports education, delivering cutting edge online and in person courses at campuses across the world in famous sporting locations such as London’s Wembley Stadium, Miami’s Chase Stadium, Brussel’s Lotto Park and Melbourne’s very own MCG.
Additionally, the GIS has influence in several other countries including hubs and labs in Canada, the UAE and Jamaica.
Through its expansive programs, the GIS has an immensely impressive 79% job placement rate in the sports industry for graduates, and a 99% job placement rate within nine months of graduation.
Speaking on the success of the GIS’ programs, Boggiano explained how the curriculum prepares students for employment within an incredibly competitive industry.
“In the UK the national average is about 33% of those that have studied a sport subject find a job in sport within nine months. So, we’re over double the national average,” he said on the podcast.
“We do it through integration with industry. Not just in terms of when our students graduate, obviously connecting them with industry to find the next step.”
“But we also integrate industry into our curriculum development – into guest speakers, networking events, a whole host of opportunities to first of all make sure that our programs are industry specific, so that the students are graduating with skills needed by the industry.”
Additionally, Boggiano touched on other supports the Institute provides to help develop students for work.
“We’ve got a dedicated careers team, and we have a whole host of enrichment activities that take place online and also at our stadiums around the world to allow students to network with the industry, get work placements, and then when they graduate, they have got half a foot in the door.”
However, it is not just through deep connections with industry that the GIS has been able to set up students for successful careers but also through the Institute’s ability to reflect and restructure to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.
Boggiano highlighted the importance of different perspectives in maintaining an effective schooling environment.
“We refresh our curriculum on a regular basis. I think we have to refresh it every seven years, but we do it far more frequently than that, to make sure it is current and contemporary,” Boggiano said.
“We’ve got a global industry advisory board, in fact, we’ve not got just one, we’ve got three. We’ve got one for the Emir region, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We’ve got one for the Americas, and we’ve got one for the APAC region.”
“Its 12 senior exec[utive]s from across all different disciplines, different sports, and they feed into, again, that curriculum development.”
Additionally, Boggiano touched on the support the Institue provides to graduates once they have completed their degrees.
To learn more about the GIS’s highly effective curriculum, listen to the full interview with Ray Boggiano on episode four of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting apps.
