Professional development and employment

Professional development

• Athletes with impact. Provides development through capability-building workshops for Athlete Committee members within National Sporting Organisations.
• Beyond the Games. Featuring sport experts and athletes, this panel series shared valuable insights and advice for athletes who were part of the Paris Games cycle to reintegrate back into life and sport and decisions around retirement and careers.
• Career Practitioner Referral Network. Free, individualised career counselling for categorised athletes, staff and alumni.
• Elite Sport Education Network (ESEN). Education scholarships are available to retired athletes through the ESEN partners: Griffith University - MBA Scholarship for Women in Sport Leadership and University of Wollongong elite athlete program.
• Professional Development Training, opens in a new tab. Available to support athletes and coaches personal and professional development. Areas of support include Storytelling and public speaking, Media skills, Financial - wealth creation and tax, Personal brand and sponsorship development, and Small business development.
• Professional Skills Programs. Leadership development courses open year long to alumni on a range of topics including Stakeholder management, Psychological safety, Optimising collaboration, Developing others, and Strategy design.
• Sport Governance Education and Training. Educational opportunities and resources to develop the foundational skills of directorship for new and existing board and committee members. All courses are free and designed to support leaders at all levels of sport.
• Win Well Podcast. A podcast where athletes are in control – each episode features two Olympians and Paralympians in conversation, sharing how they win well both in sport and in life.

Employment

• High Performance Coach Development: National Generation 2032. A national apprentice coach scheme for pathway and early career coaches in partnership with a National Sporting Organisation or National Sporting Organisation for people with Disability. Eligibility criteria apply.
• AIS & Deloitte ‘Ignite Program’. Athlete friendly employment opportunity for current athletes.
• Virtual Internship Program. Categorised athletes and alumni can access a minimum of 120 hours of flexible and remote work experience with a host company (unpaid), open year long.

Female athlete programs

• AIS Talent Program STEMM. A leadership program for women who work in high performance sport and specialise in science, technology, engineering, maths or medicine disciplines.
• AIS Talent Program Executive. A leadership development program on offer to all women who work in high performance sport and are responsible for decision-making, strategy, and leadership.
• Athlete Accelerate Program. A program to help retired female athletes acquire knowledge, skills and tools to navigate a professional career in sport.
• Women in High Performance Coaching. For developing coaches or those wanting to get into coaching there are several programs on offer from mentoring, networks, programs, grants, and resources.
• Women leaders in sport programs. Offers an executive program and leadership workshops for women who work or volunteer in sport.

Additional resources

• Athlete Transition Journey (PDF) , Australian Institute of Sport, (2025). A visual journey map outlining the potential career and life transitions an athlete may experience. It can help you identify where you are in your journey, support transition readiness planning, and offer a realistic understanding of what it takes to pursue and sustain a high-performance athletic career.
• AIS Athlete Career Toolkit (PDF) , Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), (2021). A workbook suitable for athletes at different stages in their career.