Nick Harper
Former Royal Navy officer and Pilates instructor Nick Harper now lectures in sport and runs a Dorset charity bringing fitness classes to Armed Forces veterans and NHS healthcare staff.
Former Royal Navy officer and Pilates instructor Nick Harper now lectures in sport and runs a Dorset charity bringing fitness classes to Armed Forces veterans and NHS healthcare staff.
Nick spent 27 years serving as an officer in the Royal Navy, qualifying as a Ships Diver early in his career and later completing Commando training at the Commando Training Centre, Lympstone, both demanding exceptional physical strength and endurance.
After retiring from military service, he briefly retrained as a computer science teacher before realising he wanted a more physically active role, switching to a Level 5 Certificate in Education to pursue a career in sport. He now works as a Sports & Uniformed Services Lecturer at a Further Education college on the South Coast of England.
As a service leaver, Nick used the Enhanced Learning Credit (ELCAS) scheme to fund higher-level training with an approved provider, and Future Fit stood out to him as a credible, trustworthy choice. He completed his Level 3 Mat-Based Pilates course with Future Fit and is currently completing his Level 4 Pilates Teacher portfolio.
He takes continuous professional development seriously, saying it keeps his teaching creative and lets him offer his clients a wider variety of classes.
Alongside his lecturing role, Nick runs a charity delivering health and wellbeing support to Armed Forces veterans and their families, which expanded to include NHS and healthcare staff in recognition of their work through the Covid pandemic. He delivers volunteer-led fitness classes, including mat-based Pilates and circuit training, across three towns along the Dorset coast, part-funded through sponsorship, fundraising, and charitable grants, helping healthcare workers build resilience around unpredictable shift patterns.
His long-term goal is to expand these services further for blue light and emergency services, with the ambition of running a dedicated 24-hour gym for medical staff.
Every Future Fit graduate has access to Career Ready – structured career education, employer connections, exclusive recruitment events and a professional community, running alongside your studies from day one.
The teachers had bags of enthusiasm and were very knowledgeable. I have taken their ideas and applied them to my own style of delivery which has worked well for me.
Nick Harper
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