Our Mission to make an impact

A large, well known and trusted Australian RTO spent $6 million on marketing for a Diploma of Fitness in a one-year period.

They were running all their Certificates out of office buildings.

They had no dedicated gym facilities for Practical Work.

Once people found out about this, the VET-FEE HELP scheme pulled their funding.

The RTO later ceased trade, leaving 1,600 students in ‘limbo’ and 200 staff redundant.

***

The vast majority of industry professionals know this story, and who it is in reference to. Unfortunately, this story paints quite an accurate picture of the education sector, but more significantly, the fitness industry.

This example depicts an education provider that is fundamentally withdrawn from the roots of their purpose. They’ve forgotten their way, and their “why” (Simon Sinek). This loss of direction is found in other larger providers, even ‘industry leaders’ that grew to have misplaced intentions.

How can you expect to effectively educate a Personal Trainer in an office? Or purely online? There are practical assessments and ‘work placement’ requirements but nothing beyond just showing up. Students need to be taught how to physically complete tasks, act in the gym environment and actually complete the job. This all needs to be done in an engaging environment, with a teacher present, in order to guide, conduct and actually TEACH.

No dedicated gym facilities? Trying to educate the next generation of Personal Trainers… with no gym facilities? That’s like saying your going to teach Army Rangers to succeed in combat, but don’t provide the guns or combat training facilities to do so. Instead, let’s just show a slideshow on how to be a David Goggins-like Army Ranger/savage, that’ll work!… No. That will never work.

Let’s go back for a minute to our earlier example and find a solution to what they could have done differently. If the RTO had spent just $4 million on marketing and the other $2 million on classroom space and quality coaches inside the facilities, the outcome would have been much different. The result would’ve been more beneficial for students, more empowering for the industry and creating a precedent for quality, relevant fitness education.

***

It’s at this point we must acknowledge the fact that there is still integrity in the fitness industry. There are RTO’s and gyms that have purpose – purpose in training, educating, empowering and changing lives. These are the places that go out of their way to help their clients and their coaches and are looking to incite positive change.

These places are active in the space of personal development and want to see the industry grow. They’re doing all the right things and should be praised for it.

Facilities like:

• Woodford Sport Science Consulting
• Melbourne Strength Culture
• Athletes Authority
• MPT Transformations
• Enterprise Fitness
• JPS Health and Performance
• Virtus Human Performance

If you are already a Personal Trainer… where did you receive the most amount of value in your Fitness Education? Was it on the gym floor watching, training yourself, coaching others, shadowing Trainers, text-book theory, practical workshops and assessments, upskilling opportunities or external courses? Or perhaps something else?

We’ve asked that question a lot of people over the years, and what we believe as Trainers and Educators, is the most important factors in a student’s education come down to 3 main things:

1. The Teacher and mentors
2. The development of practical skills (through shadowing, coaching, training)
3. Practical implementation of theory (working in-between classroom and gym floor)

Fitness Education needs to be re-centred around these 3 factors. Reconnected with its’ roots. Roots in practical skills, interpersonal communication, relevant application of theory and taught by the highest quality teachers available.

That’s our mission.