THE RECENT publication of the national sports strategy is good news for students looking towards a career in the sports and leisure industry. Kevin Healy, development officer with the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM), says if the strategy is implemented there will be more and better career opportunities available across the board, from coaching to leisure management. Development officers will be appointed for various sports and there will be more structure on a county-to-county basis.

A study carried out in 1994 indicates that already there are the equivalent of 8,000 full-time jobs in the sports industry in Ireland. There are more than 100 hotels in the country with indoor leisure clubs, six indoor "Water World" facilities and many outdoor activity centres and national heritage parks, according to ILAM.

Unfortunately, many of the entry-level jobs are not particularly well paid and the work may be part-time or temporary; however, there are opportunities to progress. Just as the amount of work has increased in the past few weeks, the number of courses in the recreation and leisure management area has mushroomed.

Young people confused by the array of courses on offer should look for courses that combine academic and practical training, Healy says. From the point of view of the industry, programmes that include work experience are of more value, he says.

ILAM'S 1997 publication lists the courses available and gives a summary of the course structure, work placement and other awards and qualifications open to students. For instance, the course in Sligo RTC is a full-time-three-year diploma which includes 15 weeks' work placement.

As well as studying for a national diploma, students also work for qualifications in Olympic handball, walking leadership, first aid, swimming, badminton, tennis, life-saving and basketball. Additional vocational skills allow students to get their foot on the ladder in the early stages, Healy comments.

Gerry Fitzpatrick, course leader of the long-established diploma course in leisure management in Waterford RTC, says there is a heavy emphasis on sport in their programme. The college's add-on degree (the only one available in the Republic) has been very successful and, in time, will open up new sectors of the leisure market, he adds. Waterford RTC also has a master's programme this year.

In contrast to the emphasis on sport in Waterford, Daire MagCuill, director of DIT Cathal Brugha Street's diploma course in leisure management, says his school is training people to run businesses. "Every five years our courses are completely reviewed. We are currently doing that and the course that will be offered from September will be new in terms of content and direction. The focus will still be on management," he says.