Posted: 28 February 2018
YMCA Awards has become the first awarding organisation to achieve endorsement from the Chartered Institute of the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) having embraced the organisation’s new professional standards in three new gym instructor and personal training qualifications.
Our Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing, Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training and Level 3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training (a combination of the two previous courses) will be available from 1 March 2018, reinforcing YMCA Awards’ position as a market-leader in health and fitness education.
What does CIMSPA endorsement mean for the fitness education industry?
Increasingly fitness employers are keen to see that graduates have received training which is recognised by an industry body or organisation – such as CIMSPA. Therefore, having our qualifications endorsed by CIMSPA will ensure graduates from our award programmes will continue to achieve the highest levels and employability and success in their chosen professions within the fitness industry.
What are the benefits of the adapted qualification?
One of the main benefits of these qualifications to training providers will be the increased flexibility to delivering assessments. The use of the ‘Y-Mark’ system will allow providers to greatly reduce their paperwork for undertaking learners’ marking.
As for the learners, the adaptation will allow them to develop greater practical experience with a wider range of clients which will ultimately help to make them an even more attractive proposition to prospective employers.
What will I need to do to deliver the adapted qualification?
The good news for training providers is that the new qualifications will not result in huge changes in the way the courses are carried out. The course should not cost any more to deliver and additional planning, assessing and delivery time will only be required initially. By aligning the new qualifications to the professional standards we are confident that the outcome will bring greater benefits to both training providers and learners.
What does this mean for the qualification I teach/am learning at the moment?
Our current qualifications are still as popular and successful as they have ever been. They will continue to be held in the very highest regard by employers and we expect YMCA Awards certified learners to continue to reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession. The expectation is that training providers will deliver the most up to date industry qualifications at their earliest convenience which is why the decision was made to amend the current qualifications so we can help them do just that.
YMCA Awards will continue to update and amend qualifications as new standards are released and these will be able to be identified by the new CIMSPA endorsement logo.
YMCA Awards is excited by the opportunity to provide learners with the skills they need to thrive in a competitive industry and we are confident these new qualifications prove that we remain the hallmark of quality in health and fitness education. As one of the world’s leading health and wellbeing charities, we are also delighted to be able to contribute to ensuring the benefits of fitness are accessible to everyone.