This is an exciting time for qualifications in the fitness industry. The Qualifications and Credit Framework and National Qualifications Framework are being replaced by a single Regulated Qualifications Framework. Meanwhile CIMSPA and ukactive have developed Trailblazer apprenticeship standards for PTs and leisure duty managers. Fitness instructor, leisure assistant and children’s activity practitioner standards are next. There’s also an agreement in principle with the Awarding Organisations that qualification content needs to match apprenticeship standards.

But the role of group exercise instructor must also be looked at closely. The job has changed dramatically over the last five years, yet the qualification content is almost identical to the original training in the 1980s, with a focus on how to design and teach freestyle. This qualification isn’t relevant to what instructors have to do in the workplace, where the focus is on teaching pre-choreographed classes.

Instructors themselves must be involved in this process. There’s an army of group exercise instructors and community workers out there – people who are making perhaps the biggest difference to the nation’s health and who have the best understanding of what the job entails – yet they’re not involved in the content of the qualifications.

I sincerely hope the writers of the revised group exercise or ETM qualification include freelance instructors as well as employers. Respectfully, employers and curriculum designers who come from a gym background, or who are not currently competent in group exercise, are not the right people to design or update the group exercise qualification.

I was interested to read The Telegraph’s recent article stating that personal training will be offered to thousands of overweight people on the NHS in a bid to combat diabetes.

While I applaud this decision, we need to ensure the PTs linking with the NHS have the right skills. Dealing with those who have never exercised before may be seemingly common, but this is a different group of people compared to new exercisers electing to join a club.

The personal trainers will need to have strong rapport-building skills, be empathetic and have a range of tools to be able to shape the thinking of the client and optimise their commitment. These are skills that are easily trained but, make no mistake, these are techniques that need training and practising – they aren’t intuitive.

ukactive’s Research Institute has published clear evidence of the power of physical activity counselling delivered within health club and leisure centre settings. This powerful approach moves us away from merely prescribing exercise. It effectively empowers the client to make a positive commitment based on, and with a full understanding of, why they want to be active. If widely adopted, it would transform our ability to attract and retain more people even beyond this NHS link.

In adopting this approach, our industry will offer a language and a protocol that aligns with health. It requires a little investment and a sustained transition to embed a new way of working, but the benefits could be significant for operators, our staff and those millions in need of greater support to start and stay active.