Stewarding Skills & The Growth and Skills Levy – Encouraging Signals, but Still Some Big Unknowns
Joseph Wooder – Business Development Manager
Back in the very early (so long ago!) days of summer, I shared some early thoughts on how the Growth and Skills Levy could reshape stewarding training. At the time, the idea of large employers using their levy to fund short, job-relevant training felt like a much-needed shift for our sector.
Now, with the release of the Government’s new white paper – Post-16 Skills: A System That Works for Everyone – we’ve got confirmation that the Growth and Skills Levy is going ahead. The plan is to launch in full from April 2026, and there are some encouraging signs. But for employers in the stewarding and events space, there are still questions that need answering over the coming months.
What’s Been Confirmed
The new Levy will allow employers to use a portion of their levy funds on approved, short-form courses – not just apprenticeships. These courses will be drawn from sector-based menus and designed around clear standards, occupational progression and priority skill areas.
Importantly, these programmes may be made up of stackable units – shorter, modular training blocks that add up to meaningful development. That could be a great fit for stewarding, where on-the-job up skilling, part-time learning and seasonal roles are the norm.
The Government has also committed to:
- Greater flexibility for employers to choose relevant, responsive training
- Expanding access to training that supports progression within a role or across sectors
- Providing a digital interface for employers to choose from a menu of approved provision
In principle, it’s exactly the kind of system our workforce needs.
If your training provider plans right, we could be looking at a suite of ‘stackable units’ mapped into full occupational standards.
But What Don’t We Know?
While the direction is positive, there’s still no clarity on whether stewarding or the wider visitor economy will be included in the first wave of approved sectors or qualifications.
We’re still waiting to find out:
- Whether the Level 2 Certificate in Spectator Safety will be approved (where the main headaches are!)
- If event safety, stewarding or crowd management will feature in sector menus
- How seasonal, casual, and part-time workforce will be accommodated in the course structures
So for now, while the foundations look good, the door isn’t open just yet – and we’ve seen before how sectors like ours get overlooked in favour of industrial or digital skills.
Why It Still Matters
The opportunity is still very real. If the new system does include stewarding, it could be a major breakthrough in how football clubs, venues, and events organisations build and maintain their stewarding workforce.
Training could be delivered in short, focused bursts – aligning to green guide recommendations. Units could be stacked over time as staff progress. Clubs could use levy funds to invest directly in safer matchdays and stronger matchday teams – and because of how stewarding supply chains work, there’s potential to share those benefits with delivery partners, contractors, and shared staffing pools.
It’s a model that matches how the sector actually operates – and it deserves a seat at the table.
What Should Employers Do Next?
Right now, it’s about preparation.
- Review your levy usage – How much is being used? Could short-form training unlock more value?
- Start mapping roles to skills – If your stewarding teams had access to ‘stackable’ training units, what progression routes could you create?
- Talk to your providers – Are they ready to deliver short, accredited training that could align with the new system?
And crucially, keep your eye on the detail. We expect the list of approved courses and sectors to emerge in the lead up to launch in April 2026. That will be the moment to act.
For now, we continue to push for our sector to be included. We know the risks of being left out – but we also know the impact if we’re brought in. The Growth and Skills Levy has the potential to change the game for stewarding, if it delivers on its promise.
If you want to understand how this could affect your club or event operation, get in touch – we’re already planning for the next phase.
#TrainingForASecureFuture