Who is CIMSPA? What are CIMSPA Accredited Courses?
Introduction
Assuming that you’re considering a career change to personal training, and you’ve found a Level 3 Personal Trainer Course; you may have seen the acronym ‘CIMSPA’. Perhaps you’re wondering what this means? This article will explore who CIMSPA are, what they do and the role they play in the world of Personal Training.
Who are CIMSPA?
CIMSPA stands for ‘The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity’. They are the regulating body across the UK’s Fitness industry, ensuring a high standard of practice in the fitness professional world.
What do CIMSPA do?
Generally, CIMSPA are in charge of the regulation of fitness training and fitness training education.
They work with key stakeholders in the fitness sector in order to establish high practice standards. They also advise education institutes and training course providers on how they can implement these practice standards in their teaching.
They also offer CIMSPA membership for students and professionals in the fitness sector as well as accredit certain Personal Training and Fitness Courses with their stamp of approval in order to demonstrate competency of the course provider as a trust signal.
CIMSPA Accredited Qualifications & Courses
A CIMSPA Accredited Course and Qualification is one which has been officially recognised by CIMSPA.
If a course is accredited by CIMSPA, it is recognised as a course which teaches to the highest standard of knowledge and skills, in order that those who qualify with that qualification can carry out the role as a fitness professional effectively.
Having a CIMSPA accredited qualification can greatly increase your employment prospects in the fitness sector, as it demonstrates a high degree of competency.
Do you need a CIMSPA Qualification?
It is not actually necessary to have a CIMSPA membership to become a personal trainer. It is however important that the level 3 personal trainer course that you qualify with has the CIMSPA accreditation. This is due to this accreditation being universally recognised as a trust signal of that Personal Training course.
In order for a course to be accredited by CIMSPA, there are certain criteria taken into account, such as the quality of teaching resources and teaching, the degree of difficulty of assessment, and also the amount of support students receive from tutors.
In most cases, the training course provider has to pay to be endorsed by CIMSPA; so by investing in a high quality course which is accredited by CIMSPA, you are essentially investing back into yourself to achieve the best teaching and qualification. This not only gives you peace of mind that you are receiving the best tuition, but it also improves your career prospects, as many employers will specifically look for Personal Trainers who have been qualified by coure providers accredited by CIMSPA.
At this point, it is important to note that the PFCA Combined L2 and L3 Personal Training Course is recognised and accredited by CIMSPA.
Conclusion
To conclude, although CIMSPA accreditation is not absolutely required to become a personal trainer, it is highly recommended. This is due to a CIMSPA accredited personal training course being guaranteed to teach you the role of personal training to the highest standard.
This not only helps give you peace of mind that you are receiving the best tuition, but it is also recognised by employers and may help best pave the way for you into the personal training industry. If you have any more questions about the personal training industry, then be sure to check out our Personal Training FAQs.
