UKSI: Empowering Leaders

The Challenge

The UK Sports Institute (UKSI) is a national leader in elite athletic performance. As organisational demands grew, spanning collaboration, people management, and strategic delivery, it became clear that investing in leadership wasn’t just a priority, it was a necessity. UKSI sought a solution that would build confidence, capability, and clarity in their leaders to thrive in a high-performance, high-stakes environment. In the words of their learning development manager: “It was a conscious decision to expand our learning offer and provide a deep, rich development experience for our people. We were looking for something that would challenge them and bring fresh insights.``

The results

We Delivered:
• A high-quality programme. We offered a programme that reflected UKSI’s culture, values, and performance environment. The content was real, relevant, and rooted in the lived experience of staff in elite sport and support roles. Part of the appeal was being part of a wider cohort: learning from people across different sectors gave UKSI participants valuable perspectives outside the elite sport bubble. UKSI learners valued the chance to hear how leadership plays out in other industries – it helped reframe challenges and bring new thinking back into their roles.
• Flexible, Immersive Learning. Delivered through a blend of live virtual workshops, one-to-one coaching, and self-paced learning, the programme offered the flexibility needed to work around the operational demands created by a world-class professional sports competition calendar, while creating space for deep personal and professional development.
• Whole-Person Support. What sets Aicura apart is the heart we bring to everything we do. Every learner was supported by a team of Specialist Careers Advisors, Professional Coaches, and a Chartered Management Consultant ensuring each individual felt seen, supported, and stretched to reach their potential.
• Rooted in Real Leadership. Topics such as self-awareness, managing high-performing teams, leading change, and strategic decision-making were grounded in the real challenges UKSI staff were facing, so learning could be applied instantly, not just eventually.

The Results:
• 100% Learner Engagement. All participants remained engaged throughout the programme, sharing consistent praise for the delivery team, content quality, and how personally meaningful the experience was.
• Outstanding Achievement. Every learner completed on time and with distinction. One was even shortlisted in the regional finals of the CMI Apprentice of the Year Awards, a reflection of the excellence nurtured throughout the programme.
• Real-World Results. Learners reported increased confidence in navigating change, building relationships, and thinking strategically, skills they immediately transferred back into their roles with tangible impact.
• A Legacy of Leadership. UKSI now benefits from a strengthened cohort of leaders who are better equipped to inspire performance, manage complexity, and contribute to lasting organisational success.
• Career-Defining Growth. Participants left the programme with not just qualifications, but a renewed sense of purpose and professional direction, ready to grow their careers in elite sport or beyond.

Feedback from level 7 graduate:

“I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you again for all of your help and guidance over the past 18 months! Next week I’ll be starting a new role as a Technical Lead within the UKSI, where I will be helping to shape the development of 7 UKSI practitioners and contributing to our broader strategy to develop, deliver and connect our Strength & Conditioning team across the country. The interview process demonstrated to me how I’ve developed in the leadership space over the past couple of years. I had so much more knowledge and experience to draw upon thanks to the apprenticeship programme and the work with yourselves which just allowed me to feel well prepared for the interview and to take the step up.”