SkillsActive, the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure and the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) make up the SkillsActive Group. Each organisation plays a key role in ensuring our sector has the professionally trained and qualified staff it needs to offer a world class service that supports and encourages people to be more physically active, more often.

A few weeks ago, REPs encountered some opposition in a Daily Mail report which questioned the credibility of personal trainers. The report cast doubt on the standards set by the Register and the quality of training and expertise held by personal trainers working in our gyms and health clubs.

Although the report omitted some important facts – leaving it open to interpretation – the story raised key issues and illustrated just how important it is to ensure your personal trainer or fitness instructor is a member of REPs.

REPs is an independent public register which recognises the qualifications and expertise of exercise instructors in the UK. It provides a system of regulation for instructors and trainers to ensure that they meet the health and fitness industry’s agreed national occupational standards.

Membership of REPs aims to provide assurance and confidence to consumers, employers and health professions that all registered exercise professionals are appropriately qualified and have the knowledge, competence and skills to perform specific roles. Members are acknowledged for their professionalism, their adherence to the industry’s nationally recognised standards and their ongoing education. They are also bound by a Code of Ethics and hold appropriate public liability insurance. In order to remain on the Register, members must continue to meet the standards that are set for their profession through continued professional development (CPD).

However, REPs membership is not a statutory requirement for those working in the fitness industry, which is why we so often hear stories of personal training ‘gone wrong’. Anyone in the UK can in fact set themselves up as a personal trainer and carry out fitness sessions with individuals who may suffer from a range of chronic injuries or even serious medical conditions – all of which can be exacerbated through poorly designed exercise.

The Register seeks to minimise such harm by setting standards, but like any industry watchdog, it is not fool proof. Regrettably, there may always be a small minority of professionals working in any industry who act carelessly and fail members of the public. REPs works hard to minimise such cases in the fitness industry and the more aware members of the public are of the Register, the more effective it can become at protecting them.

You can find out more about REPs from their website www.exerciseregister.org.

Young people are amongst those to be hardest hit by the recession.  Fears of a ‘lost generation’ have led to calls to explore solutions to help young people through these difficult times and reduce the proportion not in education, employment or training.

Apprenticeships have long been hailed as a key solution in ensuring the work readiness of young people and remain a key part of the government’s strategy to increase the skills and competitiveness of the UK economy.  It is therefore a cause for concern that nationally the number of young people starting apprenticeships has dropped over the past year.

The fall indicates substantial challenges ahead, especially given new government targets which outline that around 1 in 5 of all 16-18 year olds should be participating in apprenticeship programmes by 2020.

If young people are to be engaged in apprenticeships across a range of industries, we must address the fundamental barriers that prevent participation.  Recent research undertaken by SkillsActive reveals that although employer engagement is a key barrier to take up, there is a range of supporting issues that must also be addressed if the problem is to be resolved.

For the active leisure and learning sector to be successful in achieving apprenticeship targets we must ensure greater employer and provider engagement but also raise the profile of the sector and the apprenticeship pathway as a potential route for young people.  Intervention is required to clearly communicate the apprenticeship offer to ensure that all key parties have access to the right information so that they can make informed decisions (i.e. young people, their parents/guardians, advisors, employers and providers)

We must ensure fair access to information, advice and guidance about apprenticeships and careers in sectors outside of the traditional mainstream options.  In particular, we must improve knowledge of the active leisure and sector, ensuring that those offering advice have the skills and confidence to deliver advice on the sector and/or have access to experts that can give more tailored advice. Remaining aware of the resource restrictions of IAG, we need to explore measures to support the delivery of impartial and quality advice for all key parties and not just young people.

Finally, we must encourage greater employer engagement by addressing the key concerns of the sector (e.g. candidate suitability, perceived burden and risk and financial issues).

A full copy of the research report and evaluation report for a South West engagement model can be found on the SkillsActive website.

SkillsActive are working closely with employers and training providers to increase the availability and take up of apprenticeships, but we are always interested in hearing your views and ideas on what can be done increase participation.