The origins of the ACP date back to the first "International Athletes' Sports Forum", held in 2002. The difficulties faced by athletes in making the transition to the labour market following a career in competitive sport were identified as a focus. Since the creation of the programme, over 35 National Olympic and Paralympic Committees have joined with the IOC, the IPC and Adecco, and are formally involved in the IOC and/or the IPC Athlete Career Programme.
The IOC and IPC Athlete Career Programme help elite, Olympic, and Paralympic athletes find their place in the labour market, utilising a two-track programme: Career Development (education/training) and Job Placement.
- The Career Development track was created around a combination of individual modules, based on core content from Lee Hecht Harrison (an Adecco business unit), customised to meet athletes' requirements. This personalised programme assists athletes in viewing their athletic successes and characteristics from the point of view of the labour market and expressing them in appropriate terms. The programme works with athletes to enable them to communicate their skills and objectives to the business world in a common language.
- Job Placement is a personalised track built on Adecco's world-class job placement expertise. It is designed to help athletes leverage their unique backgrounds and capabilities, and position them to engage in the job market with the best support available.