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PEOPLE PROFILE john greenway
Greenway, a former Conservative MP, was appointed REPs chair when the register was established in 2002. Here he charts the fi rst 10 years of REPs – and offers a glimpse of what the future may hold.
How long have you been involved with REPs, and in what capacity? I joined as chair in 2002, when I was shadow sports minister. I’m now REPs president.
Why did you fi rst want to become involved with REPs? I quickly realised that the register – a publicly available endorsement of the professionalism of fi tness industry personnel – was essential. People were sceptical about going to the gym and the keep fi t/physical activity message. Registration and independent
endorsement of qualifi cations is vital in convincing the public that instructors and personal trainers are up to the job. That’s why our key mission has always been ‘protecting the public’.
Have you been involved in the development of EREPs? REPs has given a lot of help to EREPs, especially with technology and systems support. As REPs chair, I spoke at several EREPs events to promote the concept. I think the key challenge for registration
in Europe remains convincing the fi tness industry that registers will help deliver public recognition of high professionalism within fi tness facilities. The EHFA business plan seeks to
persuade operators to see the value and benefi ts of registers. EREPs also provides a registration opportunity for instructors in countries without a national register, with around 3,000 members.
REPs had its 10th birthday in March. What have been the key milestones in that time? Ten years ago, we set ourselves a target of between 12,000 and 15,000 REPs members. We never thought that we would in fact more than double that fi gure. REPs has helped create a qualifi cations structure that recognises the value and importance of specialism – such as back
june 2012 © cybertrek 2012
pain, cardiac rehab and older people – and which also embraces the immense variety of physical activity opportunities. We have also helped to build confi dence within government and in the medical profession that properly qualifi ed fi tness professionals have an important role to play in delivering a healthier nation.
How is REPs’ working relationship with SkillsActive? REPs is owned by Skills Active. As with the FIA, SkillsActive support for REPs has been vital, especially given SkillsActive’s role in developing standards and the qualifi cations framework for the industry. Recent structural changes at SkillsActive
have brought REPs into the centre of its operations, with the aim of keeping cost down and delivering greater effi ciency through new technology and the provision of Active Passports to all REPs members.
How would you summarise REPs’ position and reputation now? REPs is recognised as the leading brand in the fi tness industry, which is some achievement. Having started out in a precarious fi nancial position 10 years ago, we are now fi nancially secure, and this must be the platform from which we deliver better value for members and operators. REPs is the body through which the fi tness industry’s reputation can be improved and enhanced, particularly with other stakeholders. The Royal Medical Colleges have endorsed REPs and we have strong government and political support.
REPs – a benefi t for instructors, operators or consumers? Ideally, the triangle of instructor, operator and consumer interest should come together as a common interest. But we’re not there yet, as too many operators fail to support and recognise REPs. Our essential mission is to protect the public through professional standards. I fail
to see how either the instructor or operator interest can be improved if the public lacks confi dence in our professionalism.
How much awareness is there of REPs among consumers? We do need to increase public awareness of REPs. Our budget for public awareness campaigns is too small (£40,000 a year). If we can attract new members through the REPs growth plan, I would like to think we can increase this in the future. Our public awareness materials are aimed primarily at fi tness club members and we lack the resource for the kind of follow-up that I would like to see. Operators who support REPs have been brilliant, but we still need to convince the rest.
How can our sector benefi t from the rise of preventative healthcare? Preventive healthcare is now the preferred option to curative healthcare, as it’s better value for money. Interestingly, this same message is now well understood at the European Commission and will infl uence EU Social Policy initiatives. Within REPs, SkillsActive, the FIA, EHFA and EREPs, we all believe in the health dividend of physical activity. This very largely drives what we do. The industry can only succeed, however, if it employs well- and suitably qualifi ed professionals. There is no other way.
What is your favourite life motto? When something I am doing appears not to work (DIY for one), I often say ‘when all else fails, read the instructions’! There was no instruction manual for REPs, but a large number of stakeholders who all needed to be kept onboard. That has been a challenge at times, but ultimately it is only through partnership that we can achieve our goals.
Consumer awareness of REPs is not high enough 19
LUCKY BUSINESS /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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