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 commitment, 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?
There have been some really good developments 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. This added strength and rigour to the regulated 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. This 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. This could lead to further confusion and diminishing quality if employers and industry experts do 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 employers and students.

Employers will be key because they are at the coalface and are first to feel the financial backlash if their client base is unhappy. Some employers are already becoming more prescriptive about the quality of the training they’re looking for on a CV. In other words, they’re looking beyond the qualification 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 they have when enrolling on a course. They’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 industry, which is unlikely, we must clarify their choices for them – otherwise the reputation of the industry will suffer.

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, consistent product people can trust.

The journey starts when a student enrols: effective and regular communication, high quality course materials, an understanding of how people learn, innovative learning methods, 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 consider: the amount of learning and support; the provider’s track record; employer recognition; progression opportunities; and recognition by the health and fitness industry (see the briefing box on the right).

What have been some of your latest training innovations?
Our newest product is our fitness professionals’ toolkit, which is a two-day workshop that gives anyone with a Level 2 qualification four new skills to take to their clients. This is a unique course to Focus Training, and it’s proving to be really popular.

The Diploma in Personal Training is the benchmark qualification for anyone wanting to be a successful PT. However, the growth in uptake of our specialist courses proves that PTs are increasingly looking to capitalise on niche markets. Areas such as diabetes, obesity, exercise referral and sports massage reflect the diversity of practitioners that are now in demand in the sector.

Meanwhile, at entry level, we’ve seen an increase in kids instructors, again reflecting market forces.

As a company we’re also working closely with corporate clients who, through our Staff Academy, employ Focus Training to come to them, using their venue to deliver both CPD and upskilling qualifications to staff, saving them time and money.