We need to ensure the public see fitness professionals as credible, expert sources of info
We all know that the activity sector is one of the best assets we have in safeguarding the health of the nation. Ahead of the NHS, ahead of the GP surgery, it’s the work that goes on in leisure centres, gyms and health clubs up and down the country every day which is the first, proactive line of defence against ill health.
So if our sector is an asset, the people who deliver our services – the group exercise instructors, personal trainers and health club managers – should be a prized part of the healthcare community.
Having worked in the physical activity sector for many years, I don’t doubt the professionalism, dedication and impact of personal trainers and fitness instructors in motivating and inspiring active and healthy lifestyles. But as a sector, we’ve often let the skills agenda slip down the ladder.
Driving the agenda Now that seems to be changing. The activity sector’s Trailblazer is nearing completion and will rewrite apprenticeship standards, assisted by the Chartered Institute and the Professional Development Framework. There’s an appetite for improvement from public and private employers, and training providers and awarding organisations, who want to get this right. All of this work has fed into an increased interest – from big operators and suppliers – for a wider discussion on skills, qualifications, funding and so forth.
We hosted the Active Training Awards in December 2014, which laid the foundation for a very open discussion on where this debate would lead us. To follow on from this, we’ll also be hosting Active Training 2015 at the end of March, which will continue to develop this conversation and bring some new elements to the fore: there will be a step-by-step guide to the funding reforms for large employers, as well as a funding map presentation for small employers.
We’ll also be hosting one of the first sector-wide discussions on the role and scope of further education and colleges.
Building trust We must always keep in mind that we’re continuing to develop the activity sector and its role in our society. Traditional healthcare models have a long history of workforce development and standardisation. We trust our doctor to be up to the job because we know they’ve been to medical school. Now we’re in the process of making sure fitness professionals are viewed within the same context of expertise and credibility.
WANT TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION?
Active Training 2015 takes place on 26 March. We look forward to seeing you there. For more information, contact the ukactive events team at [email protected], or visit www.ukactive.com
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We need to ensure the public see fitness professionals as credible, expert sources of info
We all know that the activity sector is one of the best assets we have in safeguarding the health of the nation. Ahead of the NHS, ahead of the GP surgery, it’s the work that goes on in leisure centres, gyms and health clubs up and down the country every day which is the first, proactive line of defence against ill health.
So if our sector is an asset, the people who deliver our services – the group exercise instructors, personal trainers and health club managers – should be a prized part of the healthcare community.
Having worked in the physical activity sector for many years, I don’t doubt the professionalism, dedication and impact of personal trainers and fitness instructors in motivating and inspiring active and healthy lifestyles. But as a sector, we’ve often let the skills agenda slip down the ladder.
Driving the agenda Now that seems to be changing. The activity sector’s Trailblazer is nearing completion and will rewrite apprenticeship standards, assisted by the Chartered Institute and the Professional Development Framework. There’s an appetite for improvement from public and private employers, and training providers and awarding organisations, who want to get this right. All of this work has fed into an increased interest – from big operators and suppliers – for a wider discussion on skills, qualifications, funding and so forth.
We hosted the Active Training Awards in December 2014, which laid the foundation for a very open discussion on where this debate would lead us. To follow on from this, we’ll also be hosting Active Training 2015 at the end of March, which will continue to develop this conversation and bring some new elements to the fore: there will be a step-by-step guide to the funding reforms for large employers, as well as a funding map presentation for small employers.
We’ll also be hosting one of the first sector-wide discussions on the role and scope of further education and colleges.
Building trust We must always keep in mind that we’re continuing to develop the activity sector and its role in our society. Traditional healthcare models have a long history of workforce development and standardisation. We trust our doctor to be up to the job because we know they’ve been to medical school. Now we’re in the process of making sure fitness professionals are viewed within the same context of expertise and credibility.
WANT TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION?
Active Training 2015 takes place on 26 March. We look forward to seeing you there. For more information, contact the ukactive events team at [email protected], or visit www.ukactive.com
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Everyone Active Everyone Active operates leisure centres in partnership with local councils across the UK. Today, Ev [more...]
