Having a programme designed to support professional athletes preparing for retirement from sport makes all the difference when transitioning from a sports arena to a corporate one. HR Magazine spoke to Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), Patrick Glennon, Adecco Senior Vice President, International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme (IOC ACP) and Sam Wong, Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme (HKACEP), Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, to get the lowdown on the unique skill sets that retired athletes are bringing to the workplace.
Challenges for athletes
For many of Hong Kong’s professional athletes, finding employment after retiring from a successful athletic career can be difficult—especially if they have spent most of their time on the field rather than in the classroom. Competing at the highest level in sports requires a long-term personal commitment—usually around a decade—meaning the average retirement age of athletes is between 25 and 35. The move from sports to working life can sometimes be very challenging for retired athletes with insufficient skill sets or education, a lack of work experience beyond sports, no job seeking experience and applying for their first jobs at a relatively mature age. This is where the HKACEP has stepped in to help ease the athletes’ transitions from the world of competitive sports into a second career in the wider job market.
Realising there was a lack of funding and support from the Government and recognising that athletes were often at somewhat of a loss upon retirement, the HKACEP was established in 2008 to support the athletes through various preparatory training programmes. Education and vocational training, life skills training, career counselling, career opportunities and ambassador programme are all offered to the retired athletes. Fok explained, “The Programme has been a great success, because from the employers’ perspective, you’re hiring the best people—they’re dedicated and they’re focused.”
Rather than focusing on the CV, employers should be asking ‘Where’s the individual that’s going to take me to some place that I haven’t been before?
—Patrick Glennon, Adecco Senior Vice President, International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme
The athletes themselves admit that achieving success in both sports and their working career requires strong commitment, teamwork, an energetic approach and the ability to withstand pressure. The SF&OC believes strongly that further developing the programme is providing athletes with new opportunities to transfer the unique skills acquired during their athletic career to the labour market. In return, companies are able to gain access to world-class employees who have accumulated extraordinary traits and skills combined with the determination to excel in whatever they do.
The Federation teamed up with Adecco Hong Kong to leverage their specialist knowledge in HR and job matching. Glennon explained, “If you think about it, just making it to the Olympics means you are one of the best athletes in the world! To get there takes somebody who, when they hit a wall, knows how to get around it. It takes someone who is a creative problem solver, somebody that knows their competition and knows how to win. If you can capture the energy, the knowledge and skills an athlete has while competing, and if you can build on it with the education, with the right leadership, it can bring together a lot of things that nobody else has. This makes them very powerful in their career going forward.” He also stressed the importance of working together with employers who sometimes did not know how to effectively screen candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. He said, “Many employers are used to looking at traditional CVs and don’t recognise the athletes’ vastly different previous experience. Rather than focusing on the CV, employers should be asking ‘Where’s the individual that’s going to take me to some place that I haven’t been before?”
The Programme took a huge combined effort working with educational institutes, private sector employers and the athletes themselves. Fortunately, Adecco is uniquely positioned to help assist the HKACEP in garnering organisations who wish to leverage the athletes’ unique skill sets.
The HKACEP’s strategy for the athletes requires significant advance planning. Wong outlined the process, “At least two years before retirement, we start preparatory work to get the athletes ready for the work transition. Through education and career counselling we work with the athletes to establish a plan for the transition. Then we put the athletes on a range of internships to give them an idea of which industry type is the best fit for them. This also provides the athletes with exposure to different companies, which is great for their CVs.”
From the employers’ perspective, you’re hiring the best people—they’re dedicated and they’re focused.
—Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
The HKACEP also provides scholarships to help athletes with a relatively basic education further upgrade their academic credentials. Wong explained, “Athletes go into full-time training at a very young age, which means they quit school early. So when hiring managers look at their CVs they often see education level only up to secondary school—and so screen them out.” To help mitigate this, athletes on the Programme are encouraged to apply for scholarships so they can obtain a tertiary-level qualification to help them in the job market. The Sports Legacy Scheme, which has been running since 2012 under the Programme, helps train up athletes in coaching skills in addition to remuneration which helps them support themselves while they study part-time for their degree.
Athletes go into full-time training at a very young age, which means they quit school early. So when hiring managers look at their CVs they often see education level only up to secondary school—and so screen them out.
—Sam Wong, Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
Since the Rio Olympics, the Federation has been liaising with athletes planning to retire after the Games helping them with career orientation. On 16 October the first ever Career Exhibition for local athletes is being organising to consolidate career counselling, career orientation and job matching, education and life skills training together with increased exposure to potential employer partnerships. Fok pointed out, “In a place like Hong Kong, we have traditionally treated sports as something a little frivolous—something you just do after work. But, recently a lot of things have changed, our athletes came back from the Games and they touched the hearts of a lot of people—they were identified as heroes. This first ever Career Exhibition is going to celebrate that success and launch these athletes into new careers in the some of the best companies in the world.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
