When Callum Houghton finished school in 2021, he knew one thing for certain – he wanted a career in sport. What he didn’t know was exactly how to get there. 

Five years later, after progressing through Derby County Community Trust’s Football & Education College programme before completing the Trust’s degree programme, delivered in partnership with the EFL and the University of South Wales, Callum has graduated with a First-Class Honours degree and now works as a Community Coach at the Trust. 

For Callum, the Football & Education College programme was the ideal next step after leaving school. 

He said: “I always loved sport ever since I was young, so leaving school, I was a bit confused, a bit perplexed as to what I wanted to do. 

“I heard about the opportunity to join the Football & Education programme through the links that I knew through football. It was a perfect opportunity to continue doing sport whilst also getting a diploma, level three, within the background I wanted to do. 

“It was just a perfect follow-on, really, to develop my knowledge, get UEFA badges and continue to develop.” 

Callum then progressed onto the Trust’s degree programme in partnership with the University of South Wales, studying a Bachelor of Science degree in Football Coaching and Sports Administration. 

The practical nature of the programme suited the way he learns best. He explained: “For me, I’m very energetic, I’m very bubbly. I don’t really like being sat in a classroom, I don’t really like being sat behind a desk, so I thought it offered the perfect balance of what I wanted to do. 

“By doing the degree programme, I was doing my learning behind a desk, but I also had the opportunity to be hands-on with it and be able to do the football coaching in the outside world as well and get more experience through that.”  

During his time on the course, Callum developed skills that continue to support him in his current role as a Community Coach. He said: “I gained a lot of confidence and leadership skills, especially in a coaching environment. 

“That’s very important because you’ve got to be in control of a group. By having the opportunity to come out of my shell a bit more in front of other people that I might not know, it helped me in a coaching environment.” 

Alongside his studies, Callum made the most of opportunities to gain practical experience, volunteering on the Football & Education programme he had previously studied on and learning from experienced coaches through coaching CPD sessions. 

He explained: “By doing the degree programme, I got lots of opportunities to work within the Trust. I volunteered on the Football and Education programme and I also got the opportunity to work with Mickleover First Team manager Gareth Holmes and he would do coaching CPDs for us. 

“With that, I managed to watch first-hand what a high-level coach looks like and be able to pick up on bits from that and then get advice and feedback on my own coaching as well.” 

Those experiences helped prepare Callum for the next step in his career – working as a Community Coach, delivering PE lessons in schools alongside football sessions on the Trust’s Talent Identification Programme. 

He said: “My role now includes PE delivery. I go to different schools, delivering different syllabuses, covering loads of different sports, really, from cricket, football, dodgeball, basketball, etc. 

“I also do football sessions as well. Our Talent Identification Programme sessions are on a Monday night at Belper. I’ve got a really good balance of both worlds. I get the balance of being a PE teacher, going to schools and delivering, but I also get to be on the football side, which is another passion of mine as well.” 

Now working with young people every day, Callum says making a difference is what motivates him most. 

“It’s amazing working with the kids, just to think when you’re getting out of bed, I’ve got a reason to go and make people smile and make people happy, and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” 

Looking back, Callum believes the pathway from college to degree to employment played a key role in helping him achieve his career goals. 

He said: “The degree helped me out because I got so many connections really early on. It was almost like a step in the right direction. It was like a follow-on effect, like a domino. 

“I went from the college to the degree. The really good thing about this is the degree shapes you. Through the degree I was shaped into what the Community Trust would like to see in someone who works for them, and then it managed to then be another domino effect to get a job.” 

Reflecting on his overall experience, Callum added: “Both the Football & Education programme and degree programme helped build a lot of connections, you get a lot of friendships, and I wouldn’t change anything. I’vemade so many new friends, met so many new people, learned so many different things, and it’s just helped shape the person I am today.”