FOCUS TRAINING ADVERTISEMENT PROMOTION


A FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE


Having been at the helm of Focus Training for almost 15 years, managing director Bob Ellis has witnessed much development and expansion in the fitness training sector. Here he outlines the best ways to keep standards high and deliver the calibre of professionals that will shape the future of health and fitness


How important is quality training for today’s health and fitness operators? It’s vital. Health and fitness operators need a well-trained, professional, competent workforce – because the better the training, through skills, knowledge and commit- ment, the better the membership retention through more individual coaching, bringing in further revenue.


Are you happy with the way fitness training has developed in the sector? Tere have been some really good devel- opments in fitness training over the years, especially concerning the range of courses available, leading to greater career pathways. Attempts to regulate the industry initially placed a huge emphasis on quality as various industry bodies started to work together. Tis added strength and rigour to the regu- lated qualifications, ensuring that graduates were equipped to meet the demands of the industry and employers. However, more recently there’s been a commercial drive within industry bodies to recruit greater numbers of training providers. Tis rush for growth has led to diminishing standards, through pressure of funding and growing bureaucracy. We need a powerful watchdog to ensure standards are met. In addition, awarding organisations will


be able to write their own qualifications in the near future. Tis could lead to further confusion and diminishing quality if employers and industry experts do


8 Fitness must be taught face-to-face


they have when enrolling on a course. Tey’re making a significant investment in their future career and need to understand what they’re getting for their money. Unless we get standardisation across the indus- try, which is unlikely, we must clarify their choices for them – otherwise the reputation of the industry will suffer.


Ellis is a training industry veteran


not collaborate to establish qualification standards. Although this could be a real problem for


the industry, as training could be reduced to the lowest common denominator, it’s also a huge opportunity for the sector to address the needs of our customers – both employ- ers and students. Employers will be key because they are at


the coalface and are first to feel the finan- cial backlash if their client base is unhappy. Some employers are already becoming more prescriptive about the quality of the train- ing they’re looking for on a CV. In other words, they’re looking beyond the qualifica- tion and at the nature of the training – how that training has been delivered – because it really does impact on the outcome. At the other end of the chain, we must ensure that students understand the choices


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Focus Training qualifications have been given strong endorsement by awarding organisations. What do you believe are the most important aspects of your approach? When we talk about standards and quality, we’re referring to a wide range of elements that come together to create a robust, con- sistent product people can trust. Te journey starts when a student enrols:


effective and regular communication, high quality course materials, an understanding of how people learn, innovative learning meth- ods, appropriate levels of tutor support and practical guidance delivered at suitable venues. If you cut corners in any of these areas,


it’s detrimental to the student experience and inevitably affects student retention, pass rates and the professionalism, skills and knowledge of the graduates. I believe there are five key areas that


potential fitness students should con- sider: the amount of learning and support; the provider’s track record; employer rec- ognition; progression opportunities; and recognition by the health and fitness indus- try (see the briefing box on the right).


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