Are you getting the salary & benefits package you deserve?

The 2011 Working in Fitness Survey is now in its last few days – we would like as many responses as possible, and so we encourage you to complete the survey if you haven’t already done so.  The survey will run until the beginning of August and can be completed by clicking here: www.skillsactive.com/survey/WIF2011/

Your contribution is really important so that we get a good and true picture of jobs in the industry. You can be assured that the survey will be totally confidential, and will be analysed anonymously with the results being reported at regional and occupational levels only. No one will be able to identify individual answers.

To have a chance of winning £250 towards a training course to aid continued professional development just fill in your e-mail address at the end of the survey to be entered in the prize draw.

SkillsActive secures training match funding

SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure, learning and well-being, has been given more than £500,000 to help meet skills gaps in the fitness and playwork sectors. In total it’s hoped the monies will enable more than 1,300 fitness professionals to undergo training and become specialist instructors. Click here for more information.

Council charges – have your say

The news that Hammersmith and Fulham Council has started to charge Personal Trainers who use its parks and open spaces to train clients has caused disbelief and outrage amongst REPs members.

Other councils have since introduced charges – sometimes up more than £1,000 a year – and REPs members have been voicing their concerns over these charges.
REPS Board Chairman, and former MP and Shadow Minister for Sport, John Greenway has requested a meeting with Sports Minister Hugh Roberston to raise the issues facing PTs who are being charged to use parks and public spaces by councils. Before this meeting we would like to hear more from members, around the country, who have first hand experience of such charges and the impact they have.

If you would like your views taken into account please fill in our short survey by clicking here.

FIA launches research unit

The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) has launched a Research Institute at the University of Greenwich.

Led by the University’s Prof. Alfonso Jimenez, who has extensive experience in the field of sport and exercise science, it is supported by a Scientific Advisory Board chaired by the FIA Chief Medical Officer, Dr John Searle OBE.  Its pilot study will launch in September. Academics and representatives of The British Association of Sport and Exercise Science, The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and Commissioning bodies, such as the Association of the Directors of Public Health also support the institute.

The principle objective of the institute will be to re-balance the current focus of research more towards structured forms of exercise. The first programme will be the FIASES (FIA Structured Exercise Research Study) an evidence-based dose-response 12 weeks intervention study. Speaking at the launch of the institute, Dr John Searle said that the launch of the new body was a “significant development” for the fitness industry.

New UK physical activity guidelines launched

The four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) have published activity guidelines for under fives; children and young people; adults and older adults. These guidelines have a renewed focus on being active everyday and spell out the recommended minimum levels of activity for each age group:

• Under-fives
  180 minutes – (three hours) – each day, once a child is able to walk.
  For non-walkers physical activity should be encouraged from birth, particularly through floor-based play and water-based activities in safe environments.
• Children and young people (5-18 year olds)
  60 minutes and up to several hours every day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. Three days a week should include vigorous intensity activities that strengthen muscle and bone.
• Adults (19-64 years old) and older people (65+)
  150 minutes – (two and half hours) – each week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (and adults should aim to do some physical activity every day). Muscle strengthening activity should also be included twice a week.

The Start Active, Stay Active guidelines outline the health benefits of an active lifestyle and highlight the risks of sedentary behaviour. To read more/download copies of the factsheets click here.