Four swimmers are throwing themselves into a unique work experience opportunity as they take part in the second edition of Aquatics GB's Open Doors project.
Two-time Olympic medallist Luke Greenbank, World champion Joe Litchfield, World medallist Lucy Hope and European U-23 champion Jack Skerry are ready to immerse themselves into life at Aquatics GB, and learn more about how a national governing body operates day-to-day in a unique learning experience opportunity.
Over the next six months, that quartet of world-class competitors will gain experience and be mentored in areas such as communications and marketing, data analysis and travel planning as part of the performance operations setup, sports science and sports medicine (SSSM), and interview and CV writing skills with the People department, as they look to gain valuable insights and skills that can help their future career planning for life beyond competition.
They will also get the chance to shadow Aquatics GB CEO Drew Barrand at stages in the lead-up to April's Aquatics GB Swimming Championships and a busy summer across Glasgow's Commonwealth Games and a European Championships in Paris - and Drew himself is excited to build on the success of the project's first edition.
"We’re delighted to see the launch of the second Open Doors programme as we move into the 2026 aquatics season.
"Aquatics GB’s support for athletes extends far beyond just the pool, and we’re excited to see what experiences they can take from the programme."
After a successful first phase in 2025, Claire Ewing is eager to be leading the programme into its second edition across the next six months.
“It’s exciting to see year two of the AGB Open Doors Programme launch. We have another brilliant cohort ready to embark on the programme and eager to make it their own.
"Our induction focused today on getting to know one another, sharing the intention for the next six months and quality 1:1 time in the mentoring pairings.
"Most importantly, we encouraged Luke, Jack, Lucy & Joe to be limitless and curious as they start the programme."
The pilot edition of the Open Doors celebrated it's success in July, with the inaugural cohort sharing their experiences here.