Tom Addison, Policy Manager, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.118.20

28 January 2020, National Assembly of Wales, UK

In January, The Physiological Society was delighted to hold an event on sport and exercise science (SES) in the National Assembly of Wales. Hosted by Assembly Members from across the Welsh political spectrum, we welcomed representatives from Welsh Government, policymakers, charities and sports club foundations to discuss the varied contribution of SES to the individual, public and financial health of Wales.

The event also marked the formal launch of The Physiological Society’s Wales-specific labour market data that complemented its UK-wide report Sport and Exercise Science Education: Impact on the UK Economy. The report found that SES contributes to the economy not just in terms of increased tax revenue but also in terms of reduced burden on the health system and social services.

The Wales-specific factsheet noted that there is a huge opportunity for SES graduates. Across the UK, for every £1 that a student invests in their education in SES they will earn £5.50 in future wages. Graduates can expect to earn nearly £670,000 more over the course of their working life as a result of their SES education, compared with their peers that do not graduate from university.

Jobs for SES graduates are also geographically spread throughout Wales. Although Cardiff, Swansea and Newport made up just under half of the 2,440 new job postings for roles requiring an SES skillset between July 2018 and June 2019, both Wrexham and Rhyl had over 45 unique job postings. Nearly one in five SES graduates are employed in education or research, a welcome recognition of the contribution that SES graduates make to the research landscape of Wales.

Joining the panel’s chair Dai Lloyd AM, himself a GP in Swansea and Chair of the Assembly’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, were representatives from Public Health Wales, the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Sport Wales, the University of South Wales and Bangor University. They discussed the value of SES for older people in Wales as well as the barriers to greater engagement among people from economically disadvantaged groups and people living with chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis. We also heard about how SES graduates can make valuable contributions to the health of Wales in SES-related employment post-graduation.

Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism gave the closing keynote. The Minister has been an AM since the Assembly’s inception in 1999 and has previously served as its Llywydd (Presiding Officer). The Deputy Minister spoke about the extent to which Welsh tourism, and regeneration of towns that have previously been dependent on heavy industries, are being driven by sport and exercise innovations. For example, the former slate mine at Penrhyn has gone from being the world’s largest slate quarry to being the home of the world’s fastest zipline.

The event in Cardiff represents a fantastic template for future Society engagement with devolved parliaments. The next step will be to ensure that The Physiological Society continues to engage with the Welsh Government as we build future policy projects to address the challenges of an ageing society, as highlighted in Growing Older, Better, The Society’s response to the UK Government’s commitment to “five healthier, more independent years by 2035”. Welsh research remains underfunded compared with other nations and English regions within the UK. By promoting the contribution of SES through events like these, we hope that governments at all levels will see the difference that physiology subdisciplines make to the lives of individuals both in terms of health and careers.