Once you have qualified as a Personal Trainer your journey has just begun and if you stop learning now, you may start lagging behind your colleagues and limit your earning potential. Let’s explore the importance of CPD courses for career growth.
2. Will CPD training help me earn more?
3. What CPD courses can I take?
4. What is an accredited CPD course?
5. Is CPD recognised by employers?
6. Can CPD courses be taken online?
7. How much do CPD courses cost?
8. How can I start a Personal Training CPD course?
Once you have qualified as a Personal Trainer your journey has just begun and if you stop learning now, you may start lagging behind your colleagues and limit your earning potential.
CPD courses should be view as an ongoing process that keeps personal trainers up to date with the industry standards to ensure competent practical session delivery and client safety. It can also be used to enhance knowledge and even specialise in a certain area.
Just like any form of learning, CPD training should be carefully planned so it meets your needs and benefits the services that you deliver. This is an important part of career growth within personal training as it increases specialised areas and opens new opportunities to wider your client market.
One benefit of ongoing self-improvement in your chosen field of expertise is that you become the person everyone sees as the ‘go-to’ for that specific skill set; truly sets you apart from the average trainer you may find yourself in competition with.
Many personal trainers are self-employed and need to consider if they will get a return on their investment from their training. Often CPD courses will open up new opportunities. For example, when a personal trainer completes a kettlebell certificate, they will then be able to teach kettlebell classes, this could be a new source of income and quickly pay back the cost of the training. Read our updated guide to learn more about personal trainer salaries and earning potential.
Personal trainers can take courses in any area that would help them assist their clients or develop their business. The obvious options would be CPD courses that teach personal trainers to instruct using different forms of equipment or take specific classes (Indoor cycling instructor, Coaching Fitness Online, Suspension Exercise Instructor ).
Some CPD qualifications allow personal trainers to work with a wider variety of people (Exercise referral for health management, Nutrition for older adults, pre and postnatal). There are also CPDs for helping personal trainers motivate and interact with their clients more effectively (motivational communication, behaviour change coaching).
An accredited course is one that has been approved by a professional body, so for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector, this would be the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). By completing a CIMSPA accredited course, a student can feel confident they are gaining an up-to-date, fit-for-purpose, and industry-recognised qualification.
CPD is highly regarded by employers and is often a sign that an employee takes their professional development seriously. Most employers will actually encourage their staff to gain additional qualifications as this will greatly boost customer services, staff retention, and job satisfaction. In many cases, staff that have shown they are willing to invest time in their professional development gain promotions faster than those that don’t.
CPD training can be completed online, in a classroom setting, or a mixture of the two, which is called blended learning. You need to decide which delivery method is best for you. Online learning is great because it gives flexibility for when it can be completed. Classroom-based learning is also beneficial because it puts students face to face with experienced practitioners where they can learn practical work-based skills.
CPD training varies greatly. Short online courses and webinars can cost anywhere between £30 – £150. One-day workshops are usually priced between £90 – £200, and longer duration CPD training that requires formal assessment processes can cost £500+. Always check if the CPD training you are going to undertake is accredited by a professional body such as CIMSPA.
It can be difficult to find the right workshop or course for you, but remember CPD should be fun, engaging and most of all benefit the work that you do. Having finished your CPD you will need to take what you have learned and have the ability and confidence to apply it to practice.
This one’s simple. Find an accredited CPD course provider and select a course that will provide you with the training you are looking for. We offer a range of different CPD courses to help you become a specialist personal trainer or gym instructor. Take a look through our courses covering topics such as Behaviour Change Coaching, Low Back Pain Exercise, and Functional Training.