Personal Trainer Certification & Fitness Facility Accreditation

Personal Trainer Certification Accreditation

Personal Trainer Certification Standards

Local, State & Federal Laws
Standard 1 Fitness education providers are to abide by any city, regional, county, state, provincial, or federal laws that affect the daily practice of the entity and its employees, whether related to providing an education service or business operational procedures in general.

Purpose and Governance
Standard 2 Educators will conduct certification activities in a manner that supports the standards for competent actions and duties of a fitness practitioner and his or her related skills. This includes the development and governance (i.e., policies related to eligibility, assessment methods, and operational processes) of a program that is appropriate to the profession of a practitioner and his or her related skills. The educator must provide justification for the pertinence of its certification activities.

Standard 3 The education institute must include a provision whereby individuals from the certified population either have voting rights or the ability to propose recommendations to assist in the governance and direction of the institute's program, including but not limited to eligibility requirements and assessment procedures. For educators that offer more than one type of certification program, each certified population must be represented appropriately, including voting rights or the ability to propose recommendations.

Teaching & Learning Requirements
Standard 4 Course content designated as a "certification," "diploma," or "degree" must include assessed learning modules that involve the essence of the course content being taught in order to "qualify" the student for the workplace. This may include the completion of an internship or work placement prior to accreditation.

Standard 5 In support of Standard 4, assessment methods must specify what is being assessed and the importance or relative value of each performance criteria, task or associated knowledge or skill pertinent to the program and the practitioner's in-field work.

• It will be explained as to what criteria are used to identify the components that are to be assessed, together with a description of methods used to determine and isolate performance criteria, tasks, and related knowledge and skills.
• Students will be assessed on both theoretical and practical (in-field) objectives that constitute the course.
• Specific tasks to be performed when working in the field are to be assessed practically and not through a written test; for example, components of technical instruction, communication methods, client performance testing, and data collection and analysis abilities must be demonstrated appropriately by the student.

Standard 6 The development of assessment instruments, grading/scoring procedures, and training procedures to conduct an assessment are to be maintained, documented, and explained.

• The institute is to conduct a job/practice analysis to determine the performance, skill and knowledge content of a program in order to develop pertinent educational and assessment methods.
• In support of the above point, an assessment instrument or method must reflect and support the job/practice analysis.
• Assessment procedures must be standardized to allow for replication; explanation in support of this point is to include the assessor's data collection procedures and methods, and the degree of reliability or consistency of pass/fail decision-making.
• An analysis and the linkage between assessment and job/practice are to be reviewed and conducted regularly, as per Standard 12, in order to insure such a connection is maintained.
• Assessments based on judgment must document instructional materials, standards for teachers, and any prerequisite background or experience for selection of examiners.
• It must be demonstrated that assessment methods do not discriminate on the basis of sex, age (excluding an "experience" component), personality, race or culture.
• When assessment methods are translated or adapted to other cultures, it must be demonstrated that the translation and adaptation are adequate to produce comparable test/exam outcomes.

Standard 7 Any course instruction and development offered through the education institute will not exceed the qualifications or the knowledge, ability, training, experience and understanding of the staff responsible for providing the instruction and development of the program.

Standard 8 Student assessment must be made by a competent individual or personnel who has the knowledge, ability, training, experience or understanding necessary to make such assessments and to make sound judgment.

• Relevant personnel will understand the purpose of the exam, assessment, and minimum standards of student competence.

Standard 9 Institutes will provide a report or assessment to each student that will indicate the student's "strengths" and "weaknesses," as well as areas for improvement. This report will serve to enable all students whether failing/passing or failed/passed to benefit and increase understanding of the program and any job/practice elements of competency. Providing a "grade" is insufficient.

Standard 10 Students will be made aware in advance of registration of all assessment or testing methods and requirements involved in the program and its related elements, including:

• Purpose of the certification program
• Eligibility requirements and application policies and procedures
• Program curriculum
• Examination and assessment procedure descriptions (It must be demonstrated that different methods of assessment do assess equivalent content and that students are not disadvantaged if subjected to an assessment method that differs in method or difficulty from another method.)
• A listing of performance, task, and skill requirements upon accreditation, as well as the minimum score required for accreditation that reflects the minimum standard of competency
• Types of responses required (and that justification of those responses are job related)
• Success rate statistics, i.e., fail vs. pass
• Disciplinary and consumer complaint policies and procedures

Standard 11 All students will have equal access to required preparatory materials and instructional guidance of a qualified personnel.

• Sites for educational or assessment/testing purposes should be as consistent as possible and when possible, and offer a proper environment that includes sufficient lighting, comfortable seating, unobstructed view, clarity of instruction, and free from noise and distraction.

Administrative
Standard 12 Educators regularly are to develop, review and implement policies and procedures concerning existing and prospective practitioners, including educator responsibilities, eligibility criteria, application methods, assessment instruments, minimum performance and skill criteria (student competency), re-certification requirements, student statistics, disciplinary actions, conflicts of interest, consumer complaints and compliance with applicable laws.

• The regularity of reviewing and updating company policies and procedures will depend on the need and practices of the company, but at least once a year is recommended.
• Policies and procedures are to be developed and published for public access, including any guidelines by which consumers may question eligibility requirements and assessment methods.
• Policies are to include fair decision-making procedures in dealing with complaints and misconduct that is harmful to the public or unacceptable to the profession, i.e., incompetence, negligence, or fraud.

Standard 13 Certification is to be awarded only to those individuals who have demonstrated a minimum level of competency based on knowledge, understanding and skill through appropriate assessment.

• Certification provided for competence not established through the institute's assessment method is unacceptable.
• The institute is to ensure and demonstrate that the minimum level of competency is sufficient to provide quality professionalism on the job.
• In support of the above point, institutes are to demonstrate or document that the scores or grading sufficient to achieve certification accreditation is a reliable indication for their intended use and a reflection of the intended purposes of the assessment instruments and a minimum level of competency.

Standard 14 The education institute will provide every accredited student proof of qualifications, through means of an issued certificate or diploma, together with public notice or availability of said qualifications.

Standard 15 The education institute will have a secure and reliable method to retain any relevant documentation or records.

• The institute will maintain records on all applicants, including those who have passed or failed the course, as well as instructors who have remained or left the certifying body. The institute is to provide and verify that a practitioner possesses currently valid credentials when such information is requested from a member of the public, but without disclosing any confidential or restricted information.
• The institute will maintain records on test scores and assessment results and any supporting data. (the length of time this information is to be retained and score results provided must be made known to students).
• The institute will maintain data relevant to policies and procedures relating to administration, personnel and their actions, and assessment instruments.
• Information or files deemed no longer valuable or pertinent to the education institute or its stakeholders may be discarded or destroyed after an appropriate time.

Standard 16 The education institute will define the credentials and related abilities of its students upon accreditation, and doing so will indicate what a program's accredited student cannot or should not do beyond those credentials. The intended credentials further will dictate the specifications for the assessment methods of examination or testing.

Standard 17 The education institute will indicate its membership requirements in advance of student registration, including annual dues, continuing education credits, re-certification, professional conduct, and disciplinary actions.

Standard 18 The education institute must provide for some means of re-certification, whether in the form of re-testing, work assignments to be graded, or through continuing education credits/units.

• The institute must publish and make available to the public the basis and purpose for re-certification and any re-certification requirements.
• The institute must demonstrate (through validity and reliability) that the re-certification requirement will measure and promote the continued or enhanced competency of the practitioner. This may include submission of the assessment instruments used to measure re-certification together with an explanation of how the requirement supports professional development of the practitioner.
• The institute must state and provide reason for the time interval for re-certification and any disciplinary action for failure to re-certify within the required and designated time.

Standard 19 All costs associated with a course, including any re-writes, learning materials or on-site registration fees will be made known in advance of student registration.

Standard 20 The institute must provide an evaluation system or procedure for students so that students may assess the quality and direction of the learning experience, teaching methods, and exam/assessment methodologies.

Standard 21 The institute must demonstrate continued compliance to maintain FSC accreditation by:

• Annually completing and submitting its membership dues and supporting report of the FSC standards.
• Reporting any changes in personnel, purpose, and activities of the certification program (including teaching and examination/assessment changes).
• Providing any information the FSC may require in order to investigate allegations that involve lack of compliance to the standards contained herein.

Integrity of Information
Standard 22 All information presented by the institute, its employees or other representatives to outside parties and each other must be truthful, accurate, complete and not misleading. All employees of the institute have a responsibility to ensure that the records and information within their area of responsibility comply with all applicable laws and regulations, institute policies and accepted industry standards. The institute will retain its records according to applicable laws and its policy.

• In support of Standards 7 and 8, the institute will be truthful in the qualifications of its personnel, and that it must not represent to a student that a person providing fitness or nutrition instruction/design is qualified to do so when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Standard 23 The institute must not knowingly promote or endorse potentially dangerous fitness practices, particularly when safer "methods" deemed "as effective" are available and recognized, particularly for the purpose of increasing financial gain or industry influence.

Standard 24 The institute must not knowingly promote or endorse products or fitness methods it believes are of inferior quality or of lesser value to other products or fitness methods for the purpose of increasing financial gain or industry influence.

Mission and Objectives
Standard 25 The education institute will develop and uphold a mission statement that includes its general purpose and is supported by specific, clearly defined objectives, and the appropriate parties of the institute will review the mission statement and objectives regularly and make this mission statement available publicly.

• Present the institute's mission statement and objectives, and explain how the objectives are attained.
• Explain how the institute's mission statement and objectives are used to guide strategic planning.
• Explain how the institute regularly reviews and revises, as necessary, its mission statement, objectives, policies, and practices to ensure consistency and integrity in all of its representations about its mission, objectives, and services.
• Explain the process of ensuring that the institute's current mission statement is available publicly.

Standard 26 The education institute will develop and uphold a code of ethics.

Standard 27 The institute will demonstrate that it is carrying out effectively its mission and attaining its objectives.

• Explain the measures and/or processes the institute uses to determine whether it is meeting its stated mission and objectives. Include how the staff, administrators, managers, etc. responsible for institute planning, services, institute maintenance, etc. contribute to successful implementation and attainment of the stated mission and objectives.
• Explain the ways in which the staff, administrators, managers, etc. interact with relevant communities of interest to keep the objectives current.

Health & Safety
Standard 28 The institute is committed to providing its employees and students (in regard to on-site testing) with a safe and healthy working environment, one that is free from the effects of drugs and alcohol. We will comply with all laws and regulations regarding a safe and healthy workplace and that:

• We will provide a work environment that is in compliance with all safety rules, regulations and procedures, ensuring a workplace that is as free as practicable from recognized hazards. We will report promptly any possible safety or health violations, potentially unsafe conditions, and any incidents resulting in injuries to employees, students or visitors to our institute.

Conflict of Interest
Standard 29 All institute associates have the duty to act in the best interests of the institute and to ensure their personal interests and outside activities do not conflict or compete with the institute's business, objectives and principles, or adversely affect job performance. Each employee shall make prompt and full disclosure of any potential situation that may involve a conflict of interest and to uphold the following.

• We will conduct our personal business and private business and private affairs in a manner that avoids potential conflicts of interest and will take immediate action to resolve any actual conflicts that may arise. We will not engage in any activity, practice or conduct that conflicts with or appears to conflict with the best interests of the institute.
• We will not accept employment or compensation from or engage in any competing business or professional activity, or any business or professional activity that may require disclosure of the institute's confidential information or that reasonably could be expected to impair or interfere with our independent judgment and the performance of our duties and responsibilities to the institute. We will not engage in activities that involve the unauthorized use of institute equipment or application of confidential information or techniques.
• We will abide by all aspects of the Confidential Information policy. We will use computer systems and other property, including but not limited to e-mail, voicemail, Internet access, and software, only for business related reasons and in conformance with institute policies. We will not send, receive or transmit copyrighted materials, trade secrets, and confidential or proprietary information, financial information, or other such information without prior authorization.

Policy on Complaints
Through its complaint policy, the FSC seeks to offer those lodging a complaint an equitable, fair, and amicable resolution of their problem as promptly as possible, thus mitigating the need for legal or other action. A complaint is defined as a "substantial expression of dissatisfaction" by any person or group about the services, conduct, misrepresentation, or personnel of an education institute recognized and accredited through the FSC or any of its members.

Standard 30 Where a written complaint is made an education institute will:

• Provide the complainant with written feedback within 10 days of receiving the complaint regarding the result of action taken by the institute to resolve the complaint.
• If it is not possible to resolve the complaint within 10 days, provide written acknowledgment of the receipt of the complaint within 7 days and specify the time frame that the complainant will receive feedback regarding the result of action taken by the institute to resolve the complaint.
• Safely maintain and store records on all complaints received for a period of five years.

For guidelines on dealing with complaints and the role of the FSC in such situations, refer the Fitness Education Provider Recommended Guidelines (available to registered and accredited fitness service providers).