Panel Discussion: National Standards for Fitness Professionals
Industry leaders agree that consensus, collaboration and action steps are needed to create minimum standard of practice for fitness pros.
At the Can-Fit-Pro Toronto 2006 International Fitness and Club Business Conference, a panel of representatives from fitness certification organizations and commercial and not-for-profit fitness facilities met to discuss the need for national standards for fitness professionals.
With the health and safety of Canadians in mind, all participants recognized the need to work toward the development of standards to be incorporated into all national fitness certification programs. The panelists agreed that an inclusive, collaborative process is required to ensure the needs of all stakeholder groups are met including those of consumers who are at times confused by the certification choices.
There was consensus amongst the panelists and other participants that the adoption of a single set of foundational standards for fitness professionals would enhance consumer safety and may also protect the industry from legal challenges in the event of an accident within a facility. The panel also agreed that standards already in place in other countries should be explored to understand what has worked in other countries and to ensure the transferability of Canadian standards abroad.
Various models were proposed including building on the current NFLA standards currently being used by provincial fitness certification bodies. Other ideas included the creation of levels of fitness professionals based on their certification(s) and level of education; each would have a distinct scope of practice and work with a specific clientele.
The group agreed that this is an important issue that merits further discussion.
The panelists included:
Patricia Clark, executive director, Canadian Fitness Matters
Stéphane Cova, certification director, Can-Fit-Pro
Susan Lee, president, Certified Professional Trainers Network
David Hardy, president, Fitness Industry Canada
Tia Wintre, program coordinator, Parks and Recreation Ontario
Charlene Kopansky, founder and president The Canadian Aquafitness Leaders Alliance Inc.
Here is a brief summary of what each organization contributed to the discussion.
OASES
Patricia Clark
Executive Director
OASES /CanadianFitnessMatters.ca
The issue of certification has been discussed since the early 1900s. Regardless of the sector, be it fitness, recreation, technology, law, etc., the issues appear to be the same:
* There are varying qualifications with similar certifications.
* Pre-requisites vary amongst similar types of certifications.
* The variety of certifications cause confusion for the consumer and the industry, and it decreases the professionalism of the industry.
Certification is voluntary around the world, but it is the belief that certification does improve the professionalism of the industry and service to the public. The fitness certification market has grown exponentially over the past 20 years. In the early 1980s there were two certifications available, and now in Canada there is access to over 200 certification bodies.
But the question to be raised is, “What makes for a good quality certification?” CanadianFitnessMatters.ca, a program of OASES, discussed this issue at length when the new revised Canadian Fitness Safety Standards© were being developed. At that time, it was not within the mandate of the Fitness Safety Advisory Council to differentiate the “good” certifications from the “bad” certifications. The Standard simply states that “an individual must be certified in the area with which they are providing service to their clients.”
The new Guide Book that will be available in 2007 will provide some general guiding principles for evaluating a certification program. However, the organization is also interested in working with the industry, fitness professionals,and the numerous certification agencies, to try to develop some sort of standardization within the industry. There is no preconceived notion as to what the model would look like, but there are some excellent models within North America and around the world that should be reviewed for their “best practices.” We look forward to developing a model that will benefit the industry, fitness practitioners, and the consumer.
Can-Fit-Pro
Stéphane Cova
Certification Director
As a participant in this first discussion on the development of national standards for fitness professionals in Canada, I was pleased to see emerge a spirit of collaboration and real concern for the sustainability of our industry’s recent growth. While I was disappointed that some of the stakeholder groups that were invited to attend the discussion declined, I am optimistic about the progress that was made with the groups who did participate.
Can-Fit-Pro strongly supports the development of a single set of national standards for fitness professionals and is willing to contribute our fair share to help enable the development process. Any truly national set of standards will have to be mindful of the needs of the industry’s many stakeholders including consumers, commercial and not-for-profit clubs, allied health professional organizations, individual fitness professionals and fitness certification agencies. The standards will need to come from a collaborative, consensus-building process which includes input from each of the stakeholder groups.
As Canada’s largest provider of fitness education and certification, Can-Fit-Pro is pleased to see that there is an apparent willingness to move forward on what we consider a very important initiative for the long-term sustainability of the fitness industry. We are hopeful that in the near future Can-Fit-Pro will be one of many organizations that will make up a national committee to initiate the development of national standards, will be inclusive of all fitness professionals and will help ensure the health and well-being of consumers. We look forward to future meetings.
Certified Professional Trainers Network (CPTN)
Susan Lee
President
The Certified Professional Trainers Network (CPTN) has specialized in education and certification of personal and specialty trainers since 1993. We draw from this background to comment on steps that we can take to move towards national standards for fitness professionals.
National standards would require consensus building around a quality certification. They would need to be based on a solid body of theoretical and practical knowledge with clear entrance, exit and re-certification requirements. As professionals meeting a certification standard, we would need to have a defined scope of practice. While we need to keep an eye on the future, it would also be responsible and time efficient to review existing documents such as the archived NFLAC Performance Standards for Personal Trainers. Initial discussions on how we can adapt existing documents to develop new national standards can be first steps towards consensus building.
Collaboration with health care, education institutes and Health Canada can inform organizations and stakeholders on the needs for our services and how we can best fill the education and certification gaps in the fitness industry. Fitness professionals can be a part of the health care continuum. For example, we can provide post-rehabilitation for clients with musculoskeletal injuries. We need to prepare fitness professionals with specialty training and certifications. Fitness organizations can also collaborate with education institutes to offer specialty training courses for individuals interested in pursuing fitness as a profession. We need to work with Health Canada to promote a healthier population. Collaboration cannot happen with just intent, there needs to be a funding source to allow the different organizations to meet and discuss the health and fitness of Canadians.
We need a clear vision and an action plan. As professionals in the industry, we want to do our part to address the current issues of sedentary lifestyles, overweight/obesity and active aging amongst our clients and the general population. Finally, while we facilitate the goal setting process of our clients, we as a collective group of stakeholders, need to set goals to set the wheels in motion for change, to move towards a level of national standards and practices that can best serve Canadians.
Fitness Industry Council of Canada
David Hardy
President
As an industry association, our concern is that unless the personal training industry is able to qualify certification whereby offering a minimum standard of practice, the government is likely to step in and define those standards on the industry’s behalf. It is always a concern when a governing force not directly involved with the industry or who does not fully understand the industry begins to regulate practice standards. That said, Fitness Industry Council of Canada
encourages the personal training industry to work together to define and abide by a minimum level of operative standards to prevent regulation enforced by the government.
Parks and Recreation Ontario
Tia Wintre
Program Coordinator
I was pleased to represent Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) on a panel commenting on fitness industry standards at the 2006 Can-Fit-Pro conference. As a provincial membership-based organization, PRO is involved in coordinating active living programs in communities and setting policies to ensure safe, enjoyable and quality experiences for the public. It was encouraging to be surrounded by a panel that supports the goals of PRO and acknowledges the need for a set of consistent and common standards for fitness professionals.
Pierre Chartier mentioned in a previous Fitness Business Canada article that energy should be focused on reviewing and improving existing standards rather than “reinventing the wheel.” The National Fitness Leadership Alliance (NFLA) has existing fitness standards which were created in consultation with a coalition and are considered by some as the National standard. PRO suggests that this process be expanded and include a task group from the various sectors of the fitness industry to either validate the NFLA standards or make any appropriate revisions.
panel and the need to diminish any conflict of interest existing with the training body, certifying body and owner of the standard.
PRO followed this idea and provided the example of its own nationally recognized HIGH FIVE® quality standard for sport and recreation programs for children aged 6-12. The standard was developed in open consultation, over a 12-year period, and its verification process is managed by an impartial process with co-chairs from the International Standards Organization and the National Quality Institute.
PRO is optimistic that an all inclusive and collaborative process can be undertaken to create a set of standards that meet the needs of all fitness industry stakeholders while ensuring the interest of public safety and wellbeing.
The Canadian Aquafitness Leaders Alliance Inc.
Charlene Kopansky
Founder and President
As the founder and president of The Canadian Aquafitness Leaders Alliance Inc. (CALA) since 1993, a Fitness Ontario Leadership Program trainer from 1986 to 1996 and a former physical and health education teacher in the secondary school system, I have seen the systemic building up and breaking down of the pursuit of creating an environment conducive to improving the health and wellbeing of all Canadians.
I continue to mourn the lack of focus on prevention and promotion of healthy active living. I wonder why Canadians do not understand how simple it actually can be to get well and stay well. I am confused by the money that is funneled into reactive health care with little available to prevent the lifestyle illness in the first place.
The fitness industry is a classic example of what goes on in this crazy world full of greed and clearly demonstrates the human condition with a lust for power and ultimate control. What is really preventing the players (international, national, provincial or municipal) in the business of fitness training and certification from gathering together to work towards a common goal? Why do we have to model the business of fitness after some competitive commodity full of trade secrets and sabotage?
So here we are again, attempting to find or discuss a common ground – to agree on national standards with the intention of establishing a cooperative training and certification criteria that all fitness educational organizations can use as a benchmark to model their own programs. The national standards must be clear and concrete and easily implemented with associated certification criteria that dovetail with the standards. The national standards must be developed by a wide consortium of key players in each aspect of the fitness industry, including for profit, not for profit and all organizations in between. These standards and the exit criteria must be revisited annually so that appropriate adjustments can be made in a timely fashion according to the ever changing and growing fitness industry.
A logical next step would the creation of a fitness professional registry that would encompass all the recognized professional designations including aqua fitness, yoga, spinning, group aerobics, pilates, sport conditioning, personal training, etc. The registry would then become a tool for employers to confirm the certification status of the fitness professionals they employ. Such a registry would also provide an opportunity for consumers to learn more about the certification process and what to expect when they partake in the services provided by fitness professionals.
I hope that we can arrive at the table with an open mind and a loving spirit to share ideas, laugh and talk with dignity and respect and the goal of coming to a wide range of agreements with respect to training standards and certification criteria representing the diversity of fitness leadership opportunities in the industry.
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