Getting certified to be a personal trainer takes about six months, around a $1000 and upwards of 500 hours of study. Make sure the course you take is duly accredited or you will find a hard time getting a job once you’ve invested all that time and money.
Personal trainers are in demand to help train everyone from professional athletes to senior citizens. Personal Training Certification allows trainers to assist clients learn how to lose weight, exercise and how to practice a healthier lifestyle. Personal trainers are taught how to motivate, coach and educate their clients.
What does accreditation mean?
Accreditation is a process that ensures that what you are taught meets certain guidelines. Personal Training Schools are monitored bythe NCCA or National Commission for Certifying Agencies. If the school you are considering is NCCA accredited, it means that it adheres to accepted standards and practices within the industry.
Getting your personal training certification from an accredited organization means that you have passed accepted minimum competencies for the industry that are set by the NCCA. Most health clubs, gyms and insurance companies demand that personal trainers have to be certified by an accredited company. If you don’t get your certification from an accredited company, you won’t be hired, nor will you be able to get insurance if you are self-employed.
What is NCAA?
Established in 1987, The National Commission for Certifying Agencies was created by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, or ICE. It was formed to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public by accrediting many different certification programs and organizations that evaluate professional skill.
Certification programs that receive NCCA Accreditation are required to comply with NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. These standards were developed by the industry. NCCA serves as a third party governing authority.
This organization has specific requirements that monitor a school’s standard business practices and allows for the independent development of minimum competency exams. These exams are given by the accredited schools to assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the students. If students pass these exams they get their certification.
NCAA Exams For Personal Trainers
NCCA exam development requirements offer quality control standards for schools as they are developing their personal trainer certifications. Providing these standards begins by clearly defining what personal trainers do. This “scope of practice” is decided by experts in the personal training field.
The NCAA is also responsible for setting up the protocols for how the test is taken, secured and delivered to the student and then graded. The NCAA ensures that each accredited school meets the same exam guidelines.
NCAA Protections
By having personal training accreditation, both the student at the school and the public are protected. Students are protected by knowing that if the school is accredited they will be able to use the personal training certification to get a job and insurance in their field.
The public knows that an accredited school has met the training guidelines for the trainer and so they have received a legitimate education in the industry.
One other thing that NCCA accreditation protects is the industry itself. If the industry is self-governing, then the government doesn’t have to step-in and provide regulations and standards. Being self-monitoring in the field of personal training allows the industry to grow employment opportunities and career growth for the tens of thousands of current personal trainers.
Without accreditation, personal trainers might be required to get bachelor’s degrees or additional training in order to keep their current employment. NCCA enforces the continuing education process and monitors recertification procedures and the distribution of knowledge. This means that as things change, as medical knowledge, equipment offerings, or nutritional information evolves—it will disseminated via the personal training certification and recertification process.
Accredited Agencies
It is important that you choose one of the accepted and accredited programs. These include:
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
- Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)
- American Fitness Professional and Associates (AFPA)
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Summary
It is very important to make sure the agency you wish to pursue for personal training certification is accredited by the NCCA. As of early 2010 only ten personal training certification agencies or schools out of 200 have NCCA accreditation.
If your choice isn’t accredited, then you will have trouble getting a job or getting clients who are looking for this guarantee that your certification has met these guidelines. Having NCCA approval ensures your certification is recognized and respected by health clubs and gyms, health professionals, public corporations and the governments.