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.