Free training to skill up grassroots sport across QLD
Queenslanders working and volunteering in community sport are set to access free training, with new CQUniversity pathways to level up game day, development and club operations.
The valuable opportunity come as Queenslanders prepare to fill a wide range of sporting jobs for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.
At the same time, community sport enthusiasts will be better equipped, and less prone to burn-out, as they fill the 494,400 volunteer roles required to keep grassroots clubs and competitions running statewide.
The newly-developed micro-credentials will be free, flexible and targeted, thanks to Micro-credentialling Program (MCP) funding from the Queensland Department of Trade, Employment and Training.
Expertise to excel
Delivered online and available across Queensland, the micro-credentials will improve capabilities and capacity across:
- Volunteer Leadership and Club Governance
- Inclusive and Child Safe Sport Practices
- Digital and AI Skills for Sports
- Disability Inclusion and Adaptive Sport Competency.
CQU will co-design the training with industry partners: Sports Cloud specialists in digital growth, data and AI within the sports industry, Sporting Wheelies sports and recreation for people with disabilities, CPRG sport and not-for-profit governance and strategy consultancy, and QSport peak body for Queensland sport.
The project is supported by The Right Skills Strategy 2025-28, Queensland’s plan to build a skilled workforce.
Professor Fabio Serpiello is CQUniversity's Director of Sport Strategy, and said the micro-credentials would build capabilities for hundreds of volunteers and officials across Queensland’s 1300-strong sporting clubs.
“CQUniversity is determined to strengthen Queensland’s grassroots sporting workforce, and equip participants with practical, transferable skills,” Prof Serpiello explained.
“Volunteers are often responsible for high-pressure operations, technology management, compliance and governance, but often roles can be filled without formal training or recognition.
“This skills gap contributes to volunteer burnout and limits club capacity at a time when community demand for sport is growing.”
Equipped and employable
A passionate member of his own community football club, Prof Serpiello said sporting organisations across Australia needed more confident, capable people to manage increasing operational, compliance and participation demands.
“The micro-credentials will also create new employment opportunities for participants, who will build job-ready skills across sport, recreation, events, tourism and community services,” he said.
CQUniversity is a leading university in SPORT (Sport and exercise, Physical activity, Occupational and Rehabilitation Therapies), and its SPORT Strategy 2025-2028 aims to grow sporting participation, passion and knowledge across regional communities and into peak performance.
Sport volunteers already provide substantial economic and social value, nationally donating 158 million hours a year, worth an estimated $3 billion.
Queensland’s Micro-credentialing Program (MCP) has been expanded through The Right Skills Strategy 2025-28, and provides support for changing workplaces through training for new or transitioning employees.
Micro-credentials play a vital role in Queensland’s training ecosystem, providing short, accessible learning pathways that support professional development, drive innovation and boost productivity.
CQU’s community sport micro-credentials will be available from early 2027.
Explore hundreds of opportunities for flexible, affordable and targeted training via CQU’s micro-credential website.
